b5_jms_answers.

txt JMS's Answers & Info about Babylon 5 09/25/94

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This document contains a selection of actual quotes by J.Michael Straczynski,
creator of Babylon 5, from Usenet, GEnie, and CIS groups. The latest version
of this document can be found via anonymous FTP at ftp.hyperion.com.

This document contains:

* Extractions from the more-or-less complete GEnie/Usenet/CIS JMS archives.
* An organized set of information & answers to questions, paraphrased here.
* Fun tidbits of useful and useless information you may have missed.
* Answers to questions you might have, so look in the FAQ and in here first!
* Original typos and anachronisms. These are direct quotes, you see!
* Some lead-ins from quotes may be confusing based on questions asked.
* Minor spoilers (more like tidbits) for present and future episoded.
* Keywords to help you find a subject. Search for an important word
(singular, not plural, and lowercase) preceeded by the ~ mark.
Examples : ~delenn ~g'kar ~twin-peaks
* An index of keywords can be found at the end of the document.
* An update -- many additions, some deletions -- of the 5/14/94 version.
(most episode-specific stuff is gone; see the guide pages.)

|
| Changes: Took out much episode-specific stuff (better off in the guide
| pages) and obsolete information, and added new information. Some general
| information on season 2 exists, though season 1 is still the main topic.
|

This file contains material Copyright 1992, 1993, 1994 by J. Michael

Straczynski. He has given permission for his words to be redistributed
online, as long as they are marked as being copyright JMS. This compilation
is Copyright 1994 by Dan Wood, and may be distributed electronically.

Comments, corrections, and additions are encouraged via e-mail. This document
is being maintained by dan wood <[email protected]>. Thanks to David "jazz"
Navas, Elana Beach, Kyle Haight, Michael "Admiral" Zecca, Michele Worley, Lee
Whiteside, David Strauss, and the Psi Corps. And so it begins.....

=============== Contents ===============

I. Story
II. Aliens
General; Language; Vorlons; Centauri; Minbari; Narn
III. Characters
Delenn; Franklin; G'Kar; Garibaldi; Hernandez; Ivanova; Kosh;
Lennier; Londo; n'grath; Na'Toth; Sakai; Sheridan; Sinclair
IV. Technology
Station; Ships; Jump Gates; Weapons; Communication; Medicine; Other
V. Universe
Vision; Earth Alliance; Psi-corps; Powers; Miscellaneous
VI. The Pilot
VII. The Episodes
VIII. Books and Comics
IX. Show Production
Writing; Casting; Music; Visual Effects; Makeup; Sound; Editing;
Video; Production; Promos
X. Audience
XI. Nitpicks
XII. Will there be...?
XIII. Products
 XIV. JMS Himself
XV. Miscellany
XVI. INDEX OF KEYWORDS

=============== Story ===============

==== ~date ~episode ~time ~story ~2258 ~year ~month ~day

???? What will the timeline be in the B5 story?

I'm working it so that real-time comes close to paralleling story-time in

the series. The events of the series will pick up approximately six months
after the events of the pilot. We'll have crossed into another year, so the
first "year" in which the series takes place is 2258, year two of the series
(if we get that far) would be 2259, and so on.
---
No, we generally don't announce the day/month in the episodes, though
sometimes dates or seasons are referred to tangentially or offhandedly. The
real significant progression is year to year, which is why each year of the
show will be marked in the opening narration and parallel real time (season 1:
2258, season 2: 2259, etc.).
---
There will be some time between episodes in the B5 universe; in some
cases it's about a week, in some cases much longer, as long as we end up
covering roughly a year.
---
Approximately nine months have passed since the time of the pilot and the
birth of the series.

==== ~arc ~story ~five ~miss ~episode ~emerge ~change ~file

???? How is the B5 story going to be told? If B5 is a five-year arc,

will I miss out if I miss some episodes?

I've constructed the B5 writing scenario more or less as follows:

1) Each episode will be able to stand alone. If you come in on season

two, without having seen anything else, you'll be able to get into it.

2) Questions asked in the course of an episode or a season will be

answered in that episode or season.

3) BUT...if you continue to watch the show, then over time a story writ
on a much larger scale will begin to emerge. Consider it like a triptych,
something out of Hieronymous Bosch...each individual panel is sufficient unto
itself, but put them all together, and suddenly you see connections and a
whole picture that wasn't there a moment earlier.

Relationships will change. People will live, and die. Alliances wll
shift. And at one point or another, everything you THINK you know about these
characters will be turned upside down.
---
You have to understand the way this show is going to be structured. There
aren't going generally going to be a lot of loose threads hanging around.
Episodes will resolve themselves. It's just that, from time to time, we'll
carom off some point that seems tangential, but which will later become
significant. You don't have to watch every episode. Hell, if I do this right
-- and this is one hell of a hat trick, lemme tell you, when it comes to
structure -- you can even watch them out of ORDER, within a season, and still
follow what's going on. The trick is to make it so that if something slips
past, the viewer doesn't trip over it. And when you do an episode that you've
set up before, that set-up should in some subtle, non-heavy-expository way, be
re-established for those who might not have seen the episode.

Telling people "This is a five year arc" in a big way almost as a warning
is actually more destructive than constructive; it might lead people to think
that they need to commit five years of their lives to get the whole story, and
it's hard to get people to commit to even one ten-hour miniseries. You can
watch any part you want, and get a good, solid, independently enjoyable
hour-show out of it. You can come in at any point you want. The key is that
the more you watch, the more you will pick up on the nuances and the threads
we're going to be playing with. Generally, we're going to keep those threads
a bit light in the first season, then begin to draw in more of the general
story arc in the second and subsequent seasons. Let's use the first year to
get the audience comfortable with the B5 universe, and with our characters,
and in a handful of episodes, carefully begin leading everyone where we want
them to go, so that when we start to accellerate things in year two, those
who've been with us from the start can get right into it, and those who come
to the show late can play catch up without any problem.
---
The 5 year arc is worked out in considerable detail; 200 single spaced
pages in a triple-encrypted file.
---
There is a five-year story arc, yes. What's planned? Cool stuff.
---
That said...I think the ending for the B5 storyline is pretty cool.

That said...I don't think it's really about the ending. The ending is
simply where the story finally stops. Look at the ending of THE LORD OF THE
RINGS. Frodo back in the shire (though not entirely the same shire it was
when he left), glad that it's all over.
---
Will you be satisfied by the ending? More to the question, are you being
satisfied by the beginning, and the journey so far? That's the more telling
question. B5 is more about the journey than the destination, though you have
to craft one hell of a climax and a solid ending nonetheless.
---
I think maybe 45-50% of our subtext and allusions have been noted to
date, which is *real* good.
---
Actually, one follow-up...one thing we've been very careful about is that
when something is referenced in episode 9 that took place in episode 3, you
don't *have* to have seen episode 3 for it to make sense; the information you
need is collapsed or somehow incorporated into the dialogue in episode 9.
Meaning that while VCRs and repeated viewings and groups can help to *predict*
stuff, you don't need to have seen ANY prior episodes of the show to enjoy any
one episode of the show.

But the *more* you watch, the more you get out of it.

==== ~arc ~twin-peaks

???? Watching Twin Peaks requires watching every episode, will B5 really
be any different?

The comment re: Twin Peaks is correct; I loved TP dearly, but if you
missed one episode, you were screwed. The way the story is constructed, you
can come in at any point, even miss episodes, and still be able to follow the
thing. It's just that the *more* you watch, the more you'll get out of it.
the more things you'll pick up on. It's a very difficult task from a writing
point of view, but worth the effort, I think.

==== ~extend ~beyond ~more ~five ~series ~story ~thread ~franchise

???? Any chance of extending beyond five years?

What happens at the end of the five year arc? The "Babylon 5" series
ends...if I have anything to say about it (and I do). If something esle
follows, we'll see what that is, but it won't be the same series, or the same
title, or really the same characters.

Barring that very distant possibility, at the end of the five year arc, I
take a very, very, VERY long nap....
---
Re: the end of the 5th year...I've noted before that there is a thread
raised during the B5 run that could be extended into its own series. But it
wouldn't be B5. The story of Babylon 5 ends at the end of the fifth year.
regardless.
---
I'm being very careful not to let B5 turn into a *franchise*. It's a
story, created in X-parts, for television. This thing will turn into an
industry over my dead body. The most that the framework will permit is a
2-hour TV movie that caps year 5. That's it.

==== ~season ~five ~year ~22

???? Though the story is locked into a five year time frame, is there a
chance of more than 22 episodes per season?

At this point, it's way too early to even *think* about topics like
expanded seasons. Obviously, yes, we could easily expand each season's worth
of episodes from a story point of view. That ain't no kind of problem. As
for the rest...only time will tell.

==== ~philosophy ~holographic ~story ~arc ~episode ~image

Had an interesting conversation today with one of our crew. I was

talking to someone else about the writing philosophy on the show, and how it's
comparable to a tryptich...you line up the stories and you begin to see a much
broader story after a while. A series of interconnected images.

And this crew person said that I was wrong, that wasn't how the show is
being done. Now lemme tell you...we encourage people on every level to speak
frankly, at any time, to any one, but it takes considerable cojones to say
something like that to one's exec producer, that he has his own series wrong
in the description. "Oh?" says I.

He explains that what it is, is "holographic storytelling." I asked him

what the hell this meant. He said that the image of pictures side by side.
linear storytelling, wasn't right. That after he read two scripts, he went
back and reread the first one, and now he could see things in it that he
hadn't seen before. When he'd read three, again he glanced over the first.
and new things had come out.

"What it IS," he said, "is not side-by-side images, but *overlaping*

images, like old fashioned photographic plates stacked up one on top of the
other. Each has a piece of the whole picture. When you line them all up, one
behind the other, and look through all of them at once, you realize what the
picture is. It's three-dimensional storytelling."

I had to think about that one a long time, but frankly, he's right, and
I'm wrong. That *IS* what we're doing, and I've been describing it
incorrectly all this time.

Holographic storytelling...well, live and learn, I say.

==== ~story ~arc ~ditillio ~five ~lunatic

Just recently, btw, I gave Larry DiTillio a printout with just a little
of the coming 5 year arc...if he's going to story edit, he needs to know what
lines not to cross, and I can't ride herd on that all the time. He took it
home, read it. Called me. Didn't even say hello. Began the conversation
with, "You are out of your f'ing mind." I asked for some small clarification
of his position. He indicated that he thought it was absolutely great.
something that'll really go down in the rolls when the final tally is done.
"But you GOT to be out of your f'ing mind to try and pull something like this
off. It *can* be done...but it takes a lunatic to do it."

Sounds about right.

---
Kiwi...understand that no changes are just made willy-nilly (to use your
term). This is a STORY. As with any story, any novel, you have your moments
of surprise, of sudden turns where you kick over all of the tables and watch
the pieces scatter. But the writer already knows where the pieces will land.
It's all according to plan. Nobody's going to be screwed over. Anymore than
when somebody reading, say, a Stephen King book feels screwed over when
suddenly Salem's Lot, a nice quiet little town, suddenly gets filled with
undead and characters are suddenly going through some remarkable
changes...it's all part of the story.

==== ~opening ~narration ~future ~history ~past ~tense

???? How does the narration relate to the telling of the story?

My sense is that we have Sinclair narrating from some point in the

future. The transition of grammar takes place as we push into the station.
from the outside in. This was the last of the Babylon stations, and this
particular segment of it is set in 2258. (Season two would say, "The year is
2259." And so on.)

Many here will remember a show called "You Are There." The usual
narrator would say, paraphrasing here but keeping the grammar, "The year 1776
was crucial to our nation's history. The founding fathers were on the brink
of declaring independence. It's a moment of great importance. The year is
1776...and You Are There." It's along those lines. The purpose of the
narrative changes to transition us into the story.
---
The tense shifts are intentional, and go with the scenes we're seeing.
They're *supposed* to shift, with the visuals, in order to bring us into the
present from the future, at which point this story is being introduced.

==== ~narration ~pilot ~opening ~londo ~history ~third ~age

???? Why did Londo do the narration in the pilot?

Yeah, Londo seems like the *least* likely person to do the opening
narration for a show like this; you don't even see him for nearly two full
acts, and it's the kind of thing you'd expect the Commander to do.

But there are reasons for everything....

---
"Mankind" was being used by Londo specifically in relation to humans, not
sentient aliens including his own race. Earthers. Which was one reason (of
many) I wanted his character to be the narrator, someone looking in from the
outside.

As for the Third Age, it's -- oh, darn, look at the time, have to go....

==== ~narration ~season

???? What about narration for upcoming seasons?

For the series, my feeling is that the intro should be as short as

possible, almost more for mood than for information.
---
The rotating narrator thing was something that I mentioned en passant at
the LosCon screening of "Midnight." What I noted was that I was considering
rotating the narrators each season; Londo for the pilot; Sinclair for year
one; Ivanova for year two; Garibaldi for year three; G'Kar for year four; and
Delenn for year five. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to do it or not....
---
Yes, we will definitely be changing the narration each year; the year two
narration will likely be shorter, with some personal touch (I'm in the process
of writing it now), and it'll vary in phraseology with each new narrator.
---
Second year narration will be Sheridan. Third year probably either
Ivanova or Delenn. Fourth year G'Kar. Fifth year...possibly no one.
---
Yes, we'll definitely be redesigning the opening sequence visually as
well as in the narrative.

==== ~name ~babylon ~why ~myth ~history ~four

???? Why "Babylon 5"?

Thing is, Babylon has become a myth that can be interpreted and
re-interpreted a zillion ways, and can't be unmentioned forever because of one
of those interpretations. That's why the name has come up more times than I
want to think about, in song and story. (Remember the song "Babylon," by, I
believe, Donovan?) We did a titles search before we began production, and the
title Babylon 1 has been used 4 times, Babylon 2 has been used twice, Babylon
3 appears in a copyrighted song title, and Babylon 4 has also been used
(though neither copyrighted nor trademarked, so we've taken that step). Which
also goes to Somtow using a Babylon 5 in his story. It's a name that merits
lots of re-interpretations.
---
And here's a little something to consider. Some have noted the location
of B5's namesake, it's proximity to the Tigres and Euphrates, that sort of
thing...speculated on other aspects of the show...but much of what you need to
know about what will eventually happen in the course of the B5 story arc is
already available to you. In any decent desk encyclopedia.

What, you thought I pulled the name Babylon out of a hat? Let's just say
that there are going to be some interesting historical parallels....
---
 You have to really dig to get any good material on Babylon; it's not a
big topic among commercial publishers, you really have to go for the academic
publishing houses. (Beware of religious publishing houses in this area; they
have their own spin on things that tends to infect the text.)
---
Ancient Babylon kind of began with a good idea, to form a central
location for business, commerce, trading...and gradually went downhill from
there. The *idea* was solid, and that was the goal of the Babylon
project...to form a place, a freeport, of trading, where cultures could come
together. And it sounded exotic. Naturally, no one expects Babylon 5 to go
the way of the original Babylon....

After all, we're *so* much smarter now.

==== ~four ~story ~squared ~ditillio ~thornton ~three ~two ~one

???? Will we find out what happened to Babylon four, three, two, one?

After the meeting, Ron Thornton and I were talking, and he said, "Okay.
what's the deal on Babylon 4? I mean, are we ever going to see what happened
to it, or see it again?"

I smiled. "Do you REALLY want to know?"

He considered it for a moment. I think he gets nervous when I smile like

that. "Okay...sure."

So I told him. And his eyes went wide as pancakes. It was a wonderful.
Tex Avery effect. "Get out of here," he said, at first sure I was kidding. I
explained that I was quite serious.

Last I saw him, he was wandering off, muttering to himself, but growing
increasingly enchanted with the idea....
---
The EA has owned all of the Babylons; 1-3 were sabotaged early in
construction, so it wasn't too much of a loss. They dumped a BIG budget into
B4, and when that died, barely passed the budget for #5, skimping all the way.
cutting it down to bare bones operating expenses. They will and would never
approve a #6.
---
B4 never got as far as having a commander attached to it. The last
stages of construction on Babylon 4 were supervised by one Major Krantz.
assigned specifically to that task. He managed to get the station completed.
and on-line, and Earthforce was just beginning the process of selecting a
commanding officer to run the station when, 24 hours after the station became
operational, it vanished, taking roughly 1,200 of its skeleton crew with it
(including Major Krantz).
---
B1-B4 were located in roughly the same sector, with B4 using some of the
materials from 1-3 leftover. B5 was constructed about 3 hours (traveling time
in real-space) from the location of B4.

==== ~first ~season ~story ~squared ~who ~what ~why ~answer ~line

???? What will the first season be like? What kinds of things will happen?

So far, this season you'll learn a lot about all the cultures of our
ambassadors, especially the Big Four; you'll see the League of Non-Aligned
Worlds in action; you'll learn a LOT about the Psi Corps, Earth government and
economics, the inner workings of Babylon 5, the history of the Babylon
project, Sinclair's background (also a lot about Ivanova's and Garibaldi's
past)...you'll see a darker side of Londo, a lighter side of G'Kar, a more
ambiguous side of Delenn, some very weird sides of Kosh...and you'll come away
with a real sense of B5 as a *place*, a habitat, where things are, what they
do, how it works. There will be an awful lot of action, and an even greater
amount of humor...there are parts of the show that, even having seen them 16
times, are still fall-down funny.

Other than that...not much to say.

---
Since Mike mentioned it...yes. "Babylon Squared" answers the B4
question...though posing new questions about *why*. Basically, every question
we ask going into the first season we will answer, because I don't think it's
right or fair or smart to keep people hanging around 3 years to get a simple
answer to a simple question. Season 1 of B5 is what I generally call the
"what" season...you find out WHAT the Psi Corps is, WHAT happened at the
Battle of the Line, WHAT happened to Babylon 4, and so on...whereas Season 2
is the "why" season...WHY did that happen to Sinclair? And so on. New
questions arise, and we proide new answers, generally within the course of the
following season, but while at all times making sure that each episode stands
alone, regardless of where and which season you enter the series as a viewer.

(It's kinda like being one of those guys on the old Ed Sullivan show.
spinning plates on top of long, thin rods...there's a LOT to keep in motion at
all times.)

I'd classify the pilot movie as "who."

---
Season one will generally answer 90% of the questions raised in season
one; season two will answer the remaining 10%, and answer 90% of the questions
raised in season two...and so on. There will not be a sense of unfulfilled
waiting.
---
You will find out what happened to Sinclair, for starters, during the
Earth/Minbari war. In that respect, the pilot movie is like the first chapter
of a novel. For nearly 10 years, Sinclair has worked to convince himself that
nothing happened to him on the Line other than what seems to be the case: that
he blacked out for 24 hours. He's just managed to convince himself of this.
Now, suddenly, someone comes into his life and with seven words -- you'll know
them when you hear them -- completely unravels the self-deception. He knows
then that something DID happen to him, that someone DID mess with his
mind...and he is going to find out who, and why.

This he will do. And the ramifications of that discovery will have a
major influence on the series, on his relationships, and the future of not
only his character but many others.

You will see what a Vorlon is...and what it represents. And what it may
have to do with our own saga, and a hidden relationship to some of our other
characters (watch the reception scene carefully). We'll discover that there
are MANY players in this game.

One thing that separates this show from others is that on other shows.
very often you do things to them to make for interesting drama...you take them
prisoner, you make them kids, whatever...in this show, it's what's INSIDE the
characters that will pose the greatest problems...and the greatest
possibilities for drama. Most every major character is either running to, or
away from something in their hearts, or their pasts, or their careers.
Garibaldi's past will catch up with him in a very difficult way that will
affect his role and make him a very different character for as much as a full
season, and have lasting effects thereafter. Lyta will take part in a voyage
of discovery that will very much change her character.

Some of the established empires will fall. Some will rise. Hopes and
fortunes will be alternately made or destroyed. At least one major group not
yet known even to EXIST will make its presence known, but only gradually. Some
characters will fall from grace. Others will make bargains whose full price
they do not understand...but will eventually come to realize, and regret.

At the end of the first season, one character will undergo a major, MAJOR
change, which will start the show spinning on a very different axis. The first
season will have some fairly conventional stories, but others will start the
show gradually moving toward where I want it to go. One has to set these
things up gradually. Events in the story -- which is very much the story of
Jeffrey Sinclair -- will speed up in each subsequent season.

Someone he considers a friend will betray him. Another will prove to be

the exact opposite of what Sinclair believes to be true. Some will live. Some
will die. He will be put through a crucible of terrible force, that will
change him, and alter his destiny, in a profound and terrible way...if he goes
one way, or the other, will determine not only his own fate, but that of
millions of others. He will grow, and become stronger, better, wiser...or be
destroyed by what fate is bringing his way. In sum, it is a story of hope
against terrible adversity and overwhelming odds.

That, in broad brush strokes, is a *taste* of what I plan to do with the

series. I note this here because when the pilot airs, I am going to ask for
your continued help in supporting the endeavor for the series, and it occurs
to me that you ought to have at least SOME idea of what you're buying, and
being asked to support. One should never be asked to sign a blank check on
the bank of one's conscience.

==== ~second ~season

???? What kinds of stuff do we get in the second season?

Overall title for season two: "The Coming of Shadows."

---
Next season's last episode will not be a cliffhanger per se, but will,
like "Chrysalis," just escalate the hell out of the show.
---
Haven't yet seen or heard what the airdate schedule will be like for next
year, but like you I hope it'll be with more new episodes straight through.
and fewer interruptions by reruns.
---
There will be 22 episodes in season two.
---
Yes, in season two, we'll be seeing a lot of the jumpgates from up close,
and straight through.

==== ~adult ~nudity ~mature

???? Will the show feature mature themes?

You really have to do whatever's right by the story. Some adult themes
have to be handled in an adult fashion. There are some very adult themes in
B5. Some you may like, some you may not. I don't think we'll be able to go
in for nudity or the like because I don't think the stations would permit it.
If they did...I still don't know if I'd use it or not, because it would really
depend on the story.

==== ~cliffhanger ~finale ~season ~end ~chapter ~change

???? Will seasons be ending in cliffhangers?

As for "season finale cliffhangers," that depends on how you define that.
If you mean a cliffhanger that, once resolved at the start of the next season.
ends up having been more or less meaningless...no, we won't be doing that. But
the end of each planned season will make a left turn designed to bring the
show in new directions that will have long-erm (or long-term) effects on all
of our characters.

Whether it's a chapter ending in a book, or an act break in a TV series.

you build to a moment of change and transition, upping the stakes at each
turn. That's how our season-enders are constructed.
---
RE: cliffhangers...not between episodes, certainly. Between seasons.
it's...hard to explain. There are, or will be *changes* that happen from one
season to another (as planned), specific events that take place that should
bring one up short...but "cliffhanger" in the sense of leaving some guy
hanging from a string over a lake of fire...no, no plans for such at this
time.

==== ~lie ~truth ~pilot

Matt: I like it when people lie in television, and we find out about it
over time. The "lost colony" routine was one such. At one point, Garibaldi
confronts Londo with this as reason for why he doesn't trust the Centauri.
Londo shrugs it off as a "clerical error." There will be a few points in the
series when we'll get information, and we'll buy into it...and discover after
a while that that character bald-facedly lied to the other character (and, by
proxy, to us). And naturally there will be consequences to this....
---
Actually, at one point or another, just about *everyone* lied in the
course of the pilot...including Sinclair, who lied to G'Kar, and of course
Delenn lying to Sinclair in the Garden...and so on.

Basically, I have this theory that there are five kinds of truth. (This
is Joe's Theory of the Five Truths.) There is the truth you tell to casual
strangers and acquaintances. There is the truth you tell to your general
circle of friends and family members. There is the truth you tell to only one
or two people in your entire life. There is the truth you tell to yourself.
And finally, there is the truth that you do not admit even to yourself. And
it's that fifth truth that provides some of the most interesting drama.....

==== ~laurel ~pilot ~abandon ~story ~inside ~assassin

This isn't so much a spoiler, since it concerns an abandoned story like

(or, let me rephrase that...a modified story line). I mention this here since
I just mentioned it elsewhere, and might as well do so here.

Think hard about the pilot for a moment. Whose job is it in the
observation dome to monitor incoming ships...but apparently let the spider
transport slip through unnoticed? The station's skin should have (and likely
did) detect something clamping onto it...but apparently someone over-rode that
for the spider transport. Someone had to PRE-arrange access via the computer
for the assassin, since it easily palms its way into Varner's quarters. (And
what is the name of the person the access computer recognizes?) Someone had
to arrange for the transport tube to be delayed, and then *erase* that
information from the computer system. Someone who knew *exactly* when the
Vorlon ship would be docking. We see, at various times, the following people
interacting with the assassin, in different capacities: Garibaldi, Lyta.
G'Kar, Londo, Dr. Kyle, and of course, much later, Sinclair. Who did we never
see in direct contact with the assassin? Who was put in charge of the station
after Sinclair was removed?

Do you notice a pattern developing? Do certain things here point to a

certain individual...who may, or may not, have been acting on her own
volition?

And yes, this is something we planned to explore, though it wasn't on a

*direct* line to the arc of our story. It definitely impinged upon it, of
course. This has been modified due to the change in the character of the
Lieutenant Commander, and this now won't go where it was going to go...but we
still have some very interesting plans for our secondary character, not at all
along the Takashima lines (which is why this isn't a spoiler), but certainly
intriguing on their own terms.
---
Now, I didn't say she was a villain. I said that certain things may or
may not have been done of her own free will, her own volition. What this
means...we'll see.
---
The one thing that I dropped fairly completely due to the delay in
getting the series going was the Laurel thread, which has now mutated and
become something even more interesting, actually. It's something that's
enabled me to now build in a trap door that you won't see for a long time.
even though it's sitting there in plain sight.

=============== Aliens ===============

======= General

==== ~variation ~alien ~diversity

???? Will there be diversity among aliens, just as there are among humans?

Yes, I *strongly* believe that there has to be diversity among our alien
races...accents, political beliefs, religion, name it. I think that is VERY
important. Yes, from time to time, you want the monolithic, perfectly
homogeneous aliens, but if so, you want them to stick out a bit in contrast to
the rest.
---
G'Kar has the dominant accent of his people.

So does Kosh.

==== ~alien ~humanoid ~n'grath ~grail ~kosh ~oyster ~pak'ma'ra ~cgi ~shadow

???? Will we see really non-humanoid aliens?

Re: Non-humanoid...bear in mind, you still haven't seen what Kosh is

inside that suit...others, very non-humanoid, will make their appearances down
the road...and there's one race that has not yet been heard from, one shadow
government so secretive its existence is only whispered about, and when *they*
make their appearance, and you finally see what *they* look like...well, let's
just say that I've talked at some length with our EFX people, and it'll take
about 2 years to work out how to do this and make it credible.
---
What you have to understand, though, is that if you're going to have a
character BE a character, alien or not, you've basically got two choices: put
a human actor in makeup of some kind or other. or you use puppets or
animatronics, and in general the technology to realize that still isn't enough
to make it really lifelike.
---
Okay, but now, the only problem is...let's say we take your advice, and
build an alien around the design of an oyster. Now we have Sinclair having a
converstion with an oyster. Can you *imagine* the audience reaction? Some
things sound nice in theory, but when you build it, and try to play it for
drama...it ends up very, very badly.
---
On the other hand, the pak'ma'ra, which you'll get a good look at in
"Legacies," are *quite* different from earth critters.
---
We were going to have a CGI creature in the bar at one point, but vetoed
it at the last minute. So it's not there. However, a CGI
character/alien/critter does play a substantive on-camera role in one episode
this season entitled "Grail."
---
We've had other kinds of aliens, including the CGI creature in "Grail,"
and we're doing more non-humanoid stuff in year two. mixing prosthetics with
CGI.

==== ~alien ~drazi ~abbai ~fishhead ~pak'ma'ra

???? What are some of the non-aligned aliens?

Well, let's see...there's the Drazi (slightly purplish heads, the ones
who beat the crap out of the guy in "War Prayer," and brought in the Drazi
Sunhawk in "Deathwalker"), the pak'ma'ra (the ones who shuffle through frame
in greenish robes, with tentacles where their mouths should be...and about
whom there is something very weird, rather icky, which you'll see in
"Legacies"), the Abbai, commonly known around the studio as "fishheads"...will
post a fuller description later. Those are the ones you see mainly in DW.

==== ~drazi ~violent ~deathwalker ~prayer ~survivors ~sunhawk

The Drazi are a very violent, ill-tempered species; they were the ones
who first showed up in "Deathwalker" in a Sunhawk to threaten the station;
they beat up the guy in "The War Prayer;" they show up here in "Survivors;"
there's an episode about a form of martial arts among the aliens that has a
Drazi going at it...if there's a fight around, you can often find a Drazi at
the center of it or at least nearby.

==== ~second ~season ~alien

???? How about the second season? Even more aliens?

At this point, not much in the way of new aliens planned; we'd like to
get away from the alien-of-the-week story (which though we didn't do it a
*lot*, we did it enough that I want to edge away from it a bit), and
concentrate on the aliens we already have. If you just keep on throwing new
aliens into the mix, soon it loses all impact. We decided to try a whole
bunch of aliens over season one, and pick the ones that worked, which we would
then work to refine and integrate more fully into the storyline. Right now.
I think we've got about 15 races in addition to our primary groups (Narn.
Minbari, Centauri). Concomitant with this, we'll be working to make the
prosthetics far more detailed and better able to be used in a dramatic
context.

We scattergunned a lot in season one; now is the time to adjust, refine.

focus and improve. We'll still do the occasional new group, I just don't want
that to begin driving the show.

======= Language

==== ~language ~alien ~translation ~spelling ~english ~ambassador

???? How do languages get handled in B5?

There are actually several languages heard on B5, though you have to work
to hear them. (Those with surround will have an easier time.) For instance.
in the customs area, announcements are made first in English, then in
Interlac. In the bazaar area, you'll hear chirrups and whistles and clicks
and a wide range of language-sounds.
---
Re: language...if you're going to America from Russia as an ambassador.
you're expected to know English fluently. B5 is funded by (mostly) and
operated by Earth, and English is more or less the dominant language. Hence.
they know it well enough to communicate with us. (BTW, this is already
happening here...every airport on the planet, for example, uses english
consistently in the control tower to planes, and more people outside
english-speaking countries are educated in english than we are in alternate
languages.)
---
The language facilities of aliens will vary; probably the most fluent (by
virtue of necessity) are the ambassadors, whose english is perfect or nearly
so (cyberlink to the brain dumping the English equivilants of their own
language and grammar directly into the brain, very expensive and not a little
painful). The drawback is that some cultural references or some contextual
areas may not be as clear as required. (Londo wondering about ramoras, Delenn
unsure for a moment about poetry....)
---
We've already instituted the need for translation devices on several
characters. There are basically three dominant languages on B5, a kind of
interstellar esperanto, Centauri, and English, which is the more or less
official military/diplomatic language. But not everyone is going to know
those languages, so you need another way. We have translation teams
(referenced though not seen in "Soul Hunter"), and physical translation
devices for use after we've had sufficient contact with a given group or
individual to be able to decode two languages into one another.

(Incidentally, we're going with a slightly different version of English

for things like airlocks and such, alongside the visual pictograms. Not
everyone who can speak english will have an immediate grasp of the intricacies
of the language, and there have been multi cultural/esperanto like influences
on English over the next 200 years. So for things like Universe Today, you
have standard conventional English, since that's primarily an Earther-oriented
publication. But then you have signs that read, for instance SECUR AREA, with
an accent over the U. We've taken the liberty of simplifying some aspects of
english for nonhumans, as well as trying to figure out how the impact of
multi- culturalism might affect language ovese of 200 years.)
---
Yeah, that's one thing I've kind of slated in as a B story in a given
episode...an alien comes aboard and they just can't quite manage to
communicate, it's just too damned foreign in its thinking. (What I'd love is
for them to find out at the end that it's some other alien's damned cat or
something, and they've been spending all this time trying to communicate with
something that ain't sentient...but with aliens, how can you tell sometimes?)
---
We're trying to work out the languages to some detail, but not as much as
I'd like, at this point. It'll probably have to wait until the post-season
hiatus before I can sit down and really start pulling together a rough
dictionary of sorts.

==== ~native ~language ~subtitle

???? Will aliens speak in their native languages?

I don't believe in monolithic aliens who all talk exactly alike, with the
same accents, any more than I believe in humans who all talk exactly alike.
Hence, the difference between Vir and Londo.

When they're together in their quarters, they're talking in Centauri.

which we hear as English, as in WW II movies, the Germans are obviously
talking to each other in German, but we hear it in English. (The only other
alternative is to subtitle whole lengthy segments of the show, which is both
unworkable, awkward, and unfair to blind viewers.)
---
No, it won't be rare. And that's the reason why we're NOT doing
subtitles. This is the difference between something sounding neat on paper.
but not in reality, and especially not on a TV series.

If you're doing a feature film, and only have one or two shots of aliens
talking in subtitles, for brief periods, you can do this; also if you're doing
an SF series in which you're mainly talking to humans, and only rarely among
your own kind.

But in B5, a LOT of our time is spent with our various alien characters.
And sometimes the conversation can get quite detailed, quite complex or
political. In one script, for instance, there's a 2 1/2 minute scene with
G'Kar and Na'Toth, followed by two lengthy scenes with Londo and Vir, and
Delenn and Vir. So you're talking about maybe 5 minutes here. The
conversation is very detailed, very elaborate. So are you a) going to put all
of this complex dialogue on screen, line by line, and b) use subtitles for
FIVE UNBROKEN MINUTES?

You'd kill yourself as a series. No one would stand for it, and they'd
be right. Again, not every good idea is a workable or practical idea.

==== ~n'grath ~language ~communicate

???? How does n'grath communicate?

It speaks in cicada-like chirps and whistles, which are translated by the

translation device on its chest (the lighted thingie).

==== ~kosh ~language ~communicate

???? How does Kosh communicate?

Now that we've finished mixing some shows, we've now seen how Kosh
speaks, followed through to the end. It's a very unusual system that he's got
there, and it's *real* creepy to watch/listen to it. The kind of thing that
makes your skin crawl after a while.

I love it.
---
Correct, Christopher Franke designed Kosh's voice.

======= Vorlons

==== ~kosh ~vorlon

???? When will we know about Kosh Naranek, and vorlons in general?

There's simply nothing that I can say about Kosh just now.
---
We will reveal what Kosh is a LOT sooner than year 5. Closer to the end
of year 2.
---
The Vorlons are the great unknown. They occupy a *huge* sector of space.
No expedition ever sent to Vorlon space has ever returned, or sent back word.
No human had ever even *seen* a Vorlon prior to Kosh's arrival on B5. Their
technology is vastly superior to just about everyone else's. To unravel the
mystery, to maybe get a *piece* of their tech, is more than sufficient
inducement, I'd think.
---
Kosh doesn't need an assistant. In fact, no one's *really* quite sure
what it is Kosh *does* most of the day.
---
Kosh is always and forever *exactly* what he appears to be, no less and
no more. At the same time, Kosh is absolutely *nothing* like what he appears
to be.

These are not contradictory statements.

And this is about the straightest answer I've given yet on the subject,
believe it or not.

======= Centauri

==== ~centauri ~metaphor ~rome

No, the closest parallel to the Centauri would, I suppose, be ancient

Rome. I tend not to go that much to contemporary sources for metaphor, since
it's too obvious and over-done. Much of what's in B5 is drawn from much older
sources. The only exception, the only means of creating a metaphor for the
present, is one that will take some time before it's even perceptible, though
by the end of the season, you'll see what it is pretty clearly.

==== ~centauri ~hair ~jewelry ~ornamentation ~bald

???? How do centauri wear their hair?

Centauri males wear their hair in this fashion, the length of which is
determined by the person's status. Centauri women scorn such symbols of
status and go bald except for a knot of hair from the back. (Sort of a
peacock approach.)
---
Certainly, you could wear your hair longer than your status permits, but
it's like pretending to a status you don't have, which is viewed as pathetic.
---
Londo's people go for jewelry and ornamentation such as medals and
sunbursts and the like.
---
It's a standard bed, works fine. Though we *did* have a thing in mind
where Londo sits up in bed, having just had wonderful sex, and his hair is now
hanging limp...but in a sudden burst of sanity we decided against it.

==== ~centauri ~sex

???? How many, um, tentacles do Centauri males have? What do females have?

Centauri males have six.

---
The awful thing is that the two women in props -- who were having FAR too
much fun with this -- kept bringing me the tentacle to verify the shape. size,
consistency, do we see veins or not....
---
Centauri females, btw, have six narrow...ummm...slots on their backs.
three on either side of the spine, right around the base of the spine.
---
A sick thing that you should want to know these things; sicker still to
come UP with these things....

======= Minbari

==== ~minbari ~caste ~military ~religious ~religion ~line

The religious and military castes have rarely disagreed on anything.

until the religious caste ordered the surrender at the Battle of the Line.
Since then, things have not been proceeding as smoothly....
---
The three main components of Minbari society are the religious caste, the
warrior caste, and the workers...which aren't really a caste per se, which is
why they're not often included. It's a very different. less influential part
of their society.
---
Valen was the one who brought Minbari civilization together. he is their
Christ-figure.
---
Generally, the religious caste takes precedence over the warrior caste.

==== ~ornamentation ~minbari ~texture

Minbari don't do a lot of ornamentation, going instead for fabrics.

textures and colors.

==== ~minbari ~clan ~name ~caste

For those who might be interested, we've come up with some name for the
various clans of the Minbari warrior caste. The primary five are the Star
Riders (the oldest), the Moon Shields, the Wind Swords, the Night Walkers and
the Fire Wings. (The first three refer to the early Minbari version of a
mounted force, for which you need riders with shields and swords, with #4
referring to foot soldiers, and the last to those whose clan first used flying
machines in battle.)

(Oh, and Star Riders refers to those mounted soldiers who were trained to
use the stars for navigation. Behind them came the foot soldiers, who were
expert at traveling by night.)

==== ~minbari ~head ~bone

The bone that grows out of the back of Delenn's head is exactly that, not
a decoration, but an actual part of the physiology. It will differ with
various Minbari in size, configuration and texture (another Minbari seen in
the show has a darker tint to the bone structure, it's cracked and so on). The
thought is that it grows from the back of the skull structure, and comes
forward with age. You can see the "root" of thed -- the -- structure whenever
Delenn turns around.

==== ~minbari ~grey ~council

For the most part, lower level types don't know the names of those in the
Grey Council (speaking of Minbari for a moment). They are kept fairly
anonymous to avoid the cult of personality arising. You'll see the full
extent to which they preserve their anonymity in some of the upcoming
episodes, specifically "Sky" and "Babylon Squared."
---
A little aside for you...at one point this season, Delenn goes to the
Grey Council. There's a ritual she has to observe when she joins the ranks of
the Nine. Part of it is this statement she makes upon entering the circle: "I
am Grey. I stand between the candle, and the star. We are Grey. We stand
between the darkness, and the light."

==== ~minbari ~number ~triangle

Yes, I would think it fair to say that the Minbari have a thing for
triangles and things that come in threes.
---
Minbari use base 11, not base 10, so twelve would be eleventy-first year,
and so on.
---
Minbari base eleven includes fingers and head, from which the principle
of mathematics comes.
---
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven

Eleventy-one, eleventy-two, eleventy-three, eleventy-four, eleventy-five.

eleventy-six, eleventy-seven, eleventy-eight, eleventy-nine, eleventy-ten.
twelfy

Twelfty-one, twelfty-two, twelfy-three, twelfty-four, twelfty-five,

twelfty-six, twelfty-seven, twelfty-eight, twelfty-nine, twelfty-ten.

And so on.

Who here still has a problem with this?

======= Narn

==== ~narn

???? Are the narns going to be more than just the "bad guys"?

As for the Narns...yes, they are portrayed in a favorable light in many

episodes, from "By Any Means" to "Chrysalis" and "Mind War," to name but a
few. Nobody is just one thing on this show. Not nobody, not nohow.
==== ~narn ~religion ~diversity

Actually, there are varying religions within the alien species as well;
G'Kar is a follower of G'Quan, while Na'Toth's father followed G'Lan, and
Na'Toth herself doesn't really believe in anything (this as noted in "By Any
Means Necessary"). So that diversity isn't strictly or exclusively human.

=============== Characters ===============

======= Delenn

==== ~delenn ~character ~makeup ~prosthetic ~female ~mask

???? Why did you change Delenn's look after the pilot?

Once the decision was made to make her definitely female, that led us to
modify the makeup. Also, the original make up was done with very little lead
time, and some things we liked, some things we didn't. It's now sleeker.
more attractive, and easier to apply and take off.
---
Since we only really got a good look at one Minbari, it's kind of a moot
point. The new lines are generally consistent throughout Minbari.
---
We're also modifying the prosthetics a bit. Again, because Delenn is
definitely female, we can use a little less in the way of heavy overlays on
the head and face to convey ile keeping the desired androgynous look. This
lets us get the same basic image, but make a lighter and more easily applied
mask that will allow Mira greater degrees of comfort and free her up to act
without being hampered in any way.

==== ~video ~croatia ~furlan

I can't remember if I mentioned this here or not...but did I note that

apparently the B5 pilot is the #1 best selling/renting tape these days in
Croatia? What this means I have no idea....
---
Mira was in a Croatian choir?! I didn't know this. She's never
mentioned it. I know that she was an actress there, but this part is news to
me. I must ask her about it when she comes in next week.

======= Franklin

==== ~franklin ~biggs

For the role of Dr. Stephen Franklin we have found an intense and
powerful african-american actor named Richard Biggs. He's younger, in his
mid- to late thirties, dedicated, sharp and...again, the word I keep coming
back to is *intense*. Consider a younger Dr. (and I'm going to misspell this)
Debakke: self-assured, confident almost to a fault. He comes largely out of
an experimental background, so his bedside manner isn't all it should be. He's
often impatient. His character is the newest addition to the B5 "team" of
characters, and this will lead to a fair amount of conflict.
---
Just a word or two on Dr. Franklin. We're not bringing in someone who
will play the role as a sloppy, floppy puppy with a ball. Dr. Franklin is
someone who's a little on the arrogant side, very serious, very dedicated, and
is frequently in opposition to the military side of B5. He's a very intense
character, little in the way of bedside manner, invariably sure that he's
right. And sometimes he is going to be very, very wrong...with some difficult
and painful consequences.

======= G'Kar

==== ~g'kar

We won't see G'Kar's mate this season.

---
I believe G'Kar is about 50-60 in Earth terms, which is early middle age
for Narns.
---
I keep constantly fighting the urge to have G'Kar return from a trip to
the Narn homeworld with a limp, a cane, and a (temporary) eyepatch, muttering.
"Boy, the Thenta Makur have *no* sense of humor."

(Now we'll see how many get *that* one.)

==== ~g'kar ~makeup ~prosthetic

We're also doing some minor modifications to G'Kar's prosthetic, making

the chin less squared, the mouth a little broader, and the whole thing again
easier to put on and take off. It will also look far more realistic; parts of
it LOOKED like a prosthetic when you got up close.

It's one thing to throw heavy prosthetics on an actor who's only going to
wear it for the 4 weeks required for the pilot. But to wear something day in
and day out for 22 episodes...you have to think about that. Our own concern
was making it look even *better* for both of them, and we've found a way to do
that.

======= Garibaldi

==== ~garibaldi ~pilot ~alcohol

Regarding Garibaldi...in the first hour-script that I've turned in, we do

learn more about his past, and what brought him here. And yes, there were
some lives involved, but he was framed. Doesn't mean he didn't screw up other
things...and doesn't mean he won't screw up NOW, either. He's had a problem
with alcohol, and it may come back. But there is a strong link to Sinclair
that prompted him to give Garibaldi what is, essentially, his last chance.
---
Brett: this isn't a case of jack-of-all-trades. Garibaldi *has* to be a
qualified fighter pilot as head of security of a *space station* where
problems can come up in the space surrounding the station. Also, as mentioned
here before (I think) and certainly in one of our scripts, during the period
between Garibaldi's last security job, and now, when eh (he) couldn't get a
job as security chief, he was a pilot, running transport shuttles on a couple
of ice mining operations. (It was not a good period for him.) Nothing is
done arbitrarily with these characters. All three of our main EA characters
-- Sinclair, Garibaldi and Ivanova -- are qualified fighter and transport
pilots.

==== ~garibaldi ~shoe

???? Do Garibaldi's shoes have a custom tread?

Don't know if GAribaldi's shoes have a custom tread or not; it's

possible.
==== ~garibaldi ~red ~italian

???? Was Garibaldi's name taken from 19th century Italian hero Giuseppe,
who once led a group of soldiers called the "red shirts?" Coincidence?

The rest I can't comment upon, but for sure I took his name from the
Italian hero you mention.

==== ~garibaldi ~relationship

???? Will Garibaldi get any relationship next year? [season 2]

Garibaldi will get something going next season....

======= Hernandez

==== ~maya ~hernandez

She's a medical doctor, running one of the many medlabs on B5. (Dr.
Franklin, as chief of staff, runs the primary medlab, supervising other
doctors on-station.)

======= Ivanova

==== ~ivanova ~russian ~christian

Quick sketch of Ivanova: Russian, pessimistic, wry, very sharp. She

isn't in "Believers" because there was a one-week overlap with a prior
committment on a film project, which we accommodated. --

Being of Byelorussian descent, I've always wanted to write for an ethnic

Russian character. Not someone with an accent, any more than I have an accent
even though I have a last name with 10,000 consonants and no vowels. There's a
wry and formal and stiff-necked and sometimes very passionate streak that runs
through the Russian spirit, and a certain rough-hewn mysticism, a sense of
absolute fatality and doom punctuated by moments of great belief in humanity.
It's a mix of traits you don't much see in American television.

Which is why the new second in command is Lieutenant Commander Susan

Ivanova, who will be played by Claudia Christian, a fantastic and very strong
performer who just knocked us out of the room. Very much a commanding
presence, a little quirky when she wants to be, a shade on the pessimistic
side.

Having come out of an Eastern European background, I've long lamented the
stereotyped roles usually written for that kind of character, and look forward
to drawing upon the real thing for her character.
---
Claudia has settled nicely into the role, with this great edge to her
performance. Pessimistic, fatalistic, occasionally sarcastic, but in a funny
way...that can turn right around and tear your heart out.
---
I like Ivanova as well; she's got a very sly, very *sharp* intelligence
going there. She can deadpan you and whap you upside the head with a comment
delivered almost as an aside, or an afterthought. It's the difference between
wit and humor. She doesn't tell jokes, but she's got a great sense of wit.
---
Here's what I find curious (not necessarily in direct response to
anything you said, but in general on this topic)...is that when Ivanova makes
her remark to Garibaldi about snapping his hands off at the wrists, many
people have assumed that she was insulting him, berating him, being bitchy.
truly disliking and threatening him.

But the same words, put in the mouth of another male, wouldn't have drawn
that reaction, and would've been classified under, "kidding around" or affable
sarcasm.

Which is exactly what it is in this case. In this place and this time.
they're comfortable enough to mess with each other without it being taken
seriously (among these characters, that is). There are times they kinda like
to phuque with each other a bit, just for the hell of it, as comrades will
sometimes do. ("Babylon Squared" has a great example of Sinclair and
Garibaldi messing with Ivanova.)
---
There's a Billy Joel song, where one particular lyric (and I'm quoting
from memory) says, "You still have a pain inside you / That you carry with a
certain pride / It's the only part / Of a broken heart / You could ever save."
That's Ivanova.

She's had her heart stomped on a lot. And she's been holding it in. Even
with her father's death, she sucked in the pain, fought back the tears. There
is one episode, which will be right at the end of the year, where she finds
she can't run from her pain anymore...can't run from the tears...and deals
with them in a scene that's very moving and absolutely brings tears to the
eyes.
---
Kwicker, Ivanova has *not* said stuff about being Russian "every other
episode." I made the error of having her say it twice in the two-parter, now
everybody's seeing it as a big thing. It was mentined in Soul Hunter.
Survivors, and Voice, and insofar as I know, that's it. (I'll allow for the
possibility of one more, even though I don't recall any others.) I don't
think that 3-4 episodes in a 22 episode season quite qualifies as "every other
episode."
---
The main reason for the Lt. Cmdr. distinction in most circumstances is
because otherwise you've got two Commanders on deck, and it helps to keep
distinct which you're addressing. But we have some different ideas in mind for
year two.
---
And yes, Ivanova was born on Earth, in the Russian Consortium, though she
was educated in large measure overseas.

======= Kosh

==== ~kosh ~word

As reward for the humor, here's what Kosh will *really* say, when he
utters the first words we hear. He's on the Observation Dome, looking out
through the window as a ship passes overhead, the lights shining down at him
through a window.

"Ahhh....beautiful." Long beat as he looks around the place. Then: "I

will miss this...when it is gone."

And then he exits, as Garibaldi mutters to Ivanova, "I *really* hate it

when he does that."
---
 The scene was trimmed for time. It may show up again later.

==== ~kosh ~writing

The hardest part is always writing Kosh, because you have to be very
careful how much you use him, and what he says. Too much and he loses his
sense of mystery, and you don't want him spouting fortune-cookie type
aphorisms. He has a very deliberate way of speaking in which everything.
every smallest nuance and inflection means something, but sometimes not what
it appears to mean, or comes at it from a very different angle than normal
conversation. So I go as minimalist as possible, to get the meaning down to
the smallest number of words possible. And in one scene, one of only two he
appears in, I got him down to *one word*, and that one word -- and it's a
totally inoffensive, neutral word on its own terms -- should scare the hell
out of *everybody*.

==== ~kosh ~reception ~vorlon

Here's one little extra for you: only one person aboard Babylon 5 has any
idea of what a Vorlon is, inside that suit, and only one race has had dealings
with the Vorlons before. Watch the reception at the end, and see if you
notice anything unusual in the way the various people respond to Kosh.
---
And who else isn't at the reception?

======= Lennier

==== ~lennier ~mumy ~minbari ~makeup

Well, we finished casting for the role of Lennier, who is Delenn's

aide/attache. We were looking for someone who could give us the most as a
quiet, restrained, almost monk-like character, fairly innocent in his way.

And in a very nice bit of synchronicity, the person who came in and
knocked us out with his audition was Bill Mumy, who has now been cast in the
role. Aside from his work in Lost in Space, Bill is a terrific actor whose
role, I think, may sometimes have become a stumbling block from time to time.
as did the roles of Shatner, Nimoy and others from Trek. Here he will be a
very different kind of character, barely recognizeable beneath the Minbari
makeup, and can show a very different sort of approach to his work. We're
very excited to have him on the team. (I think it will also be good to have
someone around from a prior successful SF TV series who can help our cast
prepare for the reception this show is likely to receive...and I suspect that
very few if any of them really understand yet what that will mean.)
---
Mumy's role, to answer that question, is a recurring role; I think he'll
be in about half a dozen episodes or so for us. To the best of my knowledge.
this won't interfere with any other obligations Mumy has.
---
BTW, this week will Bill Mumy's first week on B5, and he's done a very
nifty job as Lennier. He brings a wonderful sense of absolute innocence...the
proverbial innocent abroad...to Lennier's character. The Minbari prosthetics
look great on him, enhancing the sense he brings to the character. He's also
great with the cast, and keeping things up during shooting. At one point, as
they're leaving camera, Delenn says to Lennier, who has just arrived at the
station, "Now tell me of home; I have been away far too long." His ad-libbed
off-camera response: "Beatlemania is back." (Another ad-lib for another shot:
"Minimalls...they're everywhere," and "Well, we just got Pizza Hut and
cable.")
======= Londo

==== ~londo

Yeah, the more I delve into Londo's character, the more I find him
intriguing. He mourns for the loss of his beloved Empire, and this makes him
vulnerable to some dangerous temptations. There are a number of dark corners
in his personality...but at the same time, a vulnerability, a sadness.

In the B5 story arc, Londo goes through some *major* changes, some good.
some tragic, some frightening. He becomes a major player, but not in the way
he would ever have anticipated.

(Hold back, Joe, you've got a long stretch ahead of you here....)
---
Re: Londo as a romantic character...bless your heart. You are the first
to have nailed it absolutely on the head. If I had to write a description of
the character, I doubt I could have done any better than what you just wrote.
There are a *lot* of episodes that bring this out in him, including the next
one up, "Born to the Purple," which I suspect will end virtually all of the
hair jokes once and for all.
---
Actually, no, Londo was not based on Brother Theodore, who I only
discovered some time later on Letterman. But Harlan and Peter David mentioned
at the panel that Brother Theodore could make a swell brother for Londo in
some episode, so this is something I may consider....

==== ~cast ~jurasik ~garibaldi

Behind-the-scenes humor: because it had been so long since the pilot, it

took a few of our actors a bit of time to get back into their characters, to
find the characters' "fingerprints" for lack of a better term. This is quite
understandable given the long waiting period. When he needed to find his
character for a scene, Peter Jurasik mentioned that he would just stand up
straight and yell, "MISter GariBALdi!" and he'd be right back in character.
Sort of the B5 version of "Shazam!"

Minus the lightning bolt, of course.

==== ~londo ~hair

We're going to re-create an entire new hairpiece that will lay flatter
and look better from the back, which I felt was one of its drawbacks. Also.
we don't want to have Peter shave his head for the whole series, as he did for
the pilot, so we're coming up with a longer prosthetic that'll come all the
way over the top of the head to the eyebrows, where we'll blend it in
unnoticeably. This will make Peter's life just that much easier.
---
We're not changing Londo's hair to make it anything less than what it is.
It'll still be as outrageous as it was in the pilot. What I was referring to
specifically was the way it bunched up at the back of the head, just above the
nape of the neck. What they had done was take a conventional wig and shove
the hair up and lock it into place; in this case, we're stringing a new.
custom wig that will gently come up in the back, as if growing naturally in
that direction. The top part will be the same, it's only a matter of cleaning
up the back, which simply didn't work aesthetically.
---
I find it interesting that people can accept spots, scales, fur.
foreheads, reptiles and parasites...but not a different style of hair, used to
denote one's rank or position (as is done in some primitive societies right
here). Look at the history of hair just around us in the last hundred or so
years...long hair, powdered wigs, crew-cuts, braids, dreadlocks, spikes.
mohawks....

Among those I've talked to, it seems that folks from other places --
England, Europe, some from Japan -- have *zero* problem with the hair. It
seems genuinely an American reaction. I was talking to someone about this
earlier this evening, and the comment came back that Americans in particular
are absolutely *obsessed* with not being embarrassed, or being made fools of.
When they (we) see someone who doesn't match our view of what's the norm, we
imagine how we would feel in that position. And to make ourselves more
secure, as in high school, we make fun of what would personally embarrass us.
When the underground/subculture of the 60s got ANY chance to express its
views, what did people focus on? Their hair. Sometimes other personal
traits, but usually the hair. "Damn longhaired freaks."

To see *hair*, of all things, being somehow less acceptable than funny
foreheads, scales, or other aspects of alien-ness flatly astonishes me. (It
was also pointed out to me that in the first season of the original Trek.
there was a *lot* of mail to Paramount about losing the pointy ears on Spock.
that they just looked stupid.)

It just seems sad to me, and somehow informative, that people are unable
to see past the hair to the person. Are we really that conservative and
ethnocentric? I particularly feel strongly about this for Peter, who is
absolutely *out there*, taking a great risk with this character, who is doing
an amazing performance...and all people can talk about is the hair, as though
that somehow diminishes the performance.

Amazing, really....

==== ~londo ~wife

???? What's up with Londo and his wives?

...moment in a script where Londo is talking about homeworld, where marriages

are still arranged, to someone who doesn't want any part of that life. "Here,"
he says, pointing to three photos, "these are my three wives: Pestilence.
Famine and Death. You think I married them for their personalities? Their
personalities could shatter entire *planets*. Arranged marriages, every one.
But it worked out. They inspire me. Knowing they're at home, waiting for me.
is what keeps me here, 75 light years away...."
---
We'll see Londo's -- spouse/spouses, I'm avoiding saying which -- in
time.

???? Was Londo's "It can't be that bad" wife one of the three?

Actually, sadly, that was Londo's first wife, who he was forced to
divorce later. Eventually I'll get into this.

======= n'grath

==== ~n'grath

I would not describe n'grath as a "Mafia boss," since that's a very

specific term. Nor is it really any kind of organization. He's a fixer.
somebody you go to when you need something...a bodyguard, forged identicards.
what-have-you.
---
Garibaldi is quite aware of n'grath...and knowing that if he just
vanished, somebody'd take his place in five minutes, prefers the trouble he
knows to the trouble he'd have to track down.

======= Na'Toth

==== ~na'toth

Replacing the character of Na'Toth could be done, but at this point she
knows stuff that is important for us to have access to in year two. (Stuff
mainly happening in "Chrysalis.")

======= Sakai

==== ~sakai ~caroline ~julia ~nickson ~sinclair

Finally, having gone his separate ways with Caroline -- she wanted him to
leave his job, he wouldn't -- Sinclair renews a longstanding relationship with
Catherine Sakai, a role we are going to cast sometime fairly soon.

Catherine works for an Earth Corp surveying asteroids and planets for
minerological exploitation, making sure they're uninhabited, and finding items
that might present the greatest possibility for profit.
---
We've shot our first scenes between Sinclair and his new love interest.
Catherine Sakai (as played by Julia Nickson). This is a very, very strong
character, and she brings a wonderful vibrancy to Sakai. They have a unique
relationship that looks and sounds like a real relationship, with all its ups
and downs and dumb moments. One way that I've reinforced this is that...well.
in the first episode in which they meet again (they were involved before).
just about every scene between them is lifted almost directly from personal
experience.

And given some of the awkward, even painful conversations that take
place, it was very, *very* hard to watch this being rehearsed. (Michael and
Julia worked over a weekend with the director to get the nuances just right.)
When it came time to shoot the scenes, much as I wanted to be on-set, I just
couldn't do it. My heart just kept falling right down to my shoes. I can't
wait for the first person to say "I don't buy this as a real relationship"
just so's I can whap him upside the head. But I have a hunch that won't
happen. It comes across as very real, and as a very vulnerable moment for
both characters.

"Write what you know," they said. Right. How about I just take a power
drill and stick it in my ear...it'd be faster, less painful, and after a while
I might even come to like it....
---
Catherine Sakai is a surveyer. She has her own business. She has her
own ship. In some episode, she has nothing whatsoever to do with the
commander, she's off doing her own business. In "Mind War," as one example.
we see her for 30 seconds with the commander in the morning, with both going
off to their respective jobs, and that's it...the rest of the story she's in
is exclusively hers, concerning something she runs into while on a survey run.
---
Regarding Catherine Sakai...believe me, this ain't a consort kind of
relationship. It will be monogamous, but difficult in many ways. This has
been an on-again/off-again relationship between them for years, made up of
three parts passion and two parts teeth. It will be a very fiery
relationship. And this is a woman with her own business, her own ship, who
comes and goes as she wishes. You have to understand that I love writing
strong female characters, and Catherine will be probably one of the strongest.

==== ~catherine ~spousal ~overunit

???? Is Catherine based on your Spousal Overunit?

Actually, no...Catherine Sakai is based more closely on another woman of

my acquaintance, with whom I was involved for quite some time. And that's all
you'll get out of me on the subject.

======= Sheridan

==== ~sheridan

I have, btw, now seen the finished (minus music and some minimal EFX)
first episode of B5 with Bruce. We did the producer's cut yesterday, and I
have to say that I think it's very nice.
---
And Bruce does a wonderful job in the role. He's brought a lot to the
table, and I think people are going to be very pleased.
---
Yes, Sheridan is descended from Gen. Philip John Sheridan of the Union
Army.
---
Sheridan, the universe willing, will be there throughout the rest of the
B5 story.
---
Only Ivanova has served with him before; Garibaldi doesn't know him from
Adam, and this will lead to some awkwardness and questions of trust down the
road.
---
Sheridan is a soldier. A soldier is told, in wartime, THIS is your
enemy. You kill the enemy or your enemy kills you. Afterward, you're in the
same position American soldiers were in after the end of WW II when it came
time to reconcile with the Germans and the Japanese. It can sometimes be very
awkward...and sometimes reconciliation takes a while.
---
Captain John Sheridan is a war hero, of sorts; he squeaked out the only
real victory of the Earth/Minbari War. (Which means the Minbari don't
generally like him a lot.) He did what he did because that's his job. He's a
professional soldier. For the last two years, he's been commanding the
Agamemmnon, a high-visibility Earthforce starship on deep patrol. As such, he
has had to learn to work with a number of different races and species.
---
"Sounds like a forumla to really PO the Minbari."

Yup.
---
In some ways, his character is somewhat more well-rounded than was the
case with Sinclair, over whom a general sense of doom often seemed to hang.
Sheridan is often very thoughtful and introspective; at other times, he can be
just a bit eccentric; he leads by respecting those who work under him, and
giving them room to grow; like any career officer, he HATES the bureaucracy
with a passion, and this is the one thing that can drive him nuts; he knows
that commanding B5 is a great opportunity, but he also knows that his presence
brings certain complications with it, and he's very ambivilant about that
aspect; he's the son of a diplomatic envoy who disappeared on his 21st
birthday, running off to see (of all things) the new Dali Lama being
installed; he has a very easygoing manner, and a great sense of humor. He
quickly re-forms a friendship with Ivanova, for whom he has great respect and
professional admiration. (For a time she served under him at Io.)

???? How critical to the B5 arc is Sheridan?

How critical was Aragorn to the storyline of Lord of the Rings?

======= Sinclair

==== ~sinclair

As I recall, the photo and article is about Sinclair's ancestor, who

fought in the Battle of Britain. And the framed piece is indeed a Sinclair
Aircraft logo.
---
There is some history there with Sinclair's father, but I'm not getting
into it this season because there are some other family issues involving our
characters that I want to delve into initially, and I don't want to step in
the same stream too many times, as it were.
---
You won't see Sinclair's brother this season...and that's all I can say
for now.

=============== Technology ===============

======= Station

==== ~station ~technology ~size ~capacity ~layout ~sets

???? How big is the station? What parts are there?

The station is a touch over 5 miles long. It can hold roughly 250,000
humans and aliens (many of whom are in transit at any point).
---
250,000 is the *maximum* number of beings who can be there at one time;
that's not necessarily the maximum number of living quarters. In some ways.
B5 is like an airport; you come in, linger, then move on to your eventual
destiny (catching a few winks in the customs area waiting for the right ship
to come in or go out).
---
The blue fins at the back of B5 are, as I recall, for the purpose of
radiating internal heat out of and from B5.
---
The Starfuries are launched from the rotating part of the station.
They're launched from the cobra bays, which are the cobra shaped projections
alongside the round front of the station, and attached to it.
---
Many aliens (all who require alternate atmosphere) live in the alien
sector. Those who can breathe oxygen can live in other areas, but tend to
congregate with other non-humans in the oxygen sections of the alien sector.
The ambassadors have their own environment supported quarters in the Green
Sector, which is the high-security area for diplomats.
---
The interior of the station does have some farm-land, orchards, an
open-air hedge maze, and other green areas. We'll be seeing them in varying
degrees of detail throughout the series. No specs are yet publicly available.
---
Located above the station proper is the long zero-g cargo loading area.
You'll see, in later episodes, ships pulling up in front of the area and
offloading cargo. That is accessible from many parts of the station.
---
The zero-g cargo section extends from the front of B5 well into the
middle of the station, *inclusive* of red sector, which is below it.
---
The 2.5 million tons of spinning *metal* refers only to that part. the
metal casing. It doesn't include the furniture, the structures. the Garden,
the 250,000 humans and aliens...so the total mass of the thing is MUCH greater
than the 2.5 megatons. Also, the body was shoved out of the area around the
cargo bay, non-rotating, which would also cut down on the momentum (as opposed
to shoving out out of the rotating part, where it would speed away at 1g).
---
On the one hand...we have more interior sets than any other series that I
know of; 18 standing sets and 42 swing sets. And we're building a number of
other sets for next year, including an Officer's Club. In addition to C&C,
we've seen various holding cells, numerous quarters, a conference room,
Sinclair's briefing room, the Council Chambers, the business room, two
separate restaurants, the Zocalo, the Dark Star Club, the Casino, the Happy
Daze Bar, Doug's Dugout Sports Bar, the Ombuds Courtroom, various DownBelow
sectors...we've shown a *lot*.
---
Medlab is the smaller facility exclusively for Dr. Franklin, as Chief of
Staff. There are larger medical facilities, more like proper hospitals,
elsewhere on the station.
---
The CO's office next season will have a view of the Garden area, as will
some other rooms.

==== ~own ~earth

???? Who owns the station?

The station is owned by the Earth Alliance, and if you're going to be

staying there, you pay a fee. Station employees are charged a fee against
their salaries...which some of them aren't happy about.

==== ~move ~position

???? Will B5 ever be moving from its present position?

Re: B5 and movement...no, it ain't going anywhere. Nor will it.

==== ~rotate

The station was designed to rotate mainly because it's scientifically

accurate. Afterward, we realized that, as you suggest, it *does* give the
station a very dynamic look. Which only proves the point that if you take the
time to actually do things correctly, to answer the next question, it works
FOR you, not against you.

==== ~defense ~grid ~weapon

The defense system for B5 consists of a system of moderate level

defensive grids, hull-mounted weaponry (which is generally concealed behind
large plates, which would be blown off with explosive bolts to reveal the
weapons beneath), and a small number of individual fighter craft stored in a
docking bay at the rear of the station.
---
As for defense, you'll see a full demonstration of this in the first
season; for now, let's just say that that smooth looking exterior is laced
with sections that can open and reveal all kinds of interesting things.
Imagine a five mile long Swiss Army knife....

==== ~computer ~voice

The computer system is quite good, based on a crystalline technology

that's a mesh between alien and human-developed stuff.
---
The computer voice belongs to Haley, our script supervisor.

==== ~inside ~gravity ~garden ~illuminated

Yes, there are definitely different levels in each section of B5.

And yes again, down the road there will be both small flyers and
individuals with air-packs in the zero-G section at the center of the Garden.
Ron's worked out how to do it.

How's it illuminated? Quite nicely, actually....

======= Ships

==== ~ship ~fighter ~starfury ~atmosphere ~wing ~fly

The fighters are the SA-23E Mitchell-Hyundyne Starfuries, and B5 has four
fighter wings, each with approximately 12 fighters.
---
The starfuries are *only* non-atmosphere craft, and they can't hold more
than one person. The other specs are over at Ron's, and I'll try to remember
to snag them at some point.
---
The fighters are built on a cross-wing structure (four wings), but very
different from either X-wing or tie fighters. The four wings have fore, aft.
top, bottom and side thrusters, so that they can move in any direction...they
can fly left to right, turn backwards, and continue to fly left to right.
flying backwards, and thus fire right to left. They're perfectly designed for
zero-g environments.
---
There are a number of influences that go into the markings on the
Starfuries. (And not all 'furies are so marked; only those that are generally
used by only one pilot, to whom the ship is assigned.) We took in general the
WW II model, where pilots used to decorate their craft with nose art to
personalize it. So some of it is of that flavor, while others echo more
ancient heraldry. (Ivanova's 'fury has an old Russian two-headed eagle in
stylized form.) Yes, again, an attempt to connect past, present and future.
---
Your message is correct; there are various "weights" of Starfuries, some
much more massive and impressive. The ones on B5 are light, fast, not overly
complicated, and quick-strike machines. Another kind, which you'll see in the
two-parter, has cockpits fore *and* aft, a two-person ship with much heavier
shielding and armaments; the "Black Omega" version is made for top speed as an
interceptor with advanced stealth components.
---
Black Omega Starfuries are *hideously* expensive, rather like Stealth
Bombers. They have to be carefully maintained, and their existence isn't
generally trumpeted. (Like the Aurora, for instance.) They're not mainly a
defensive system, but rather an infiltration unit used on black
projects/covert missions. They're not really meant for an operation like B5.
---
Definitely; there are additional fighters berthed inside Earthforce One,
with a minimum four outside on constant patrol. In addition, it's got some
pretty hefty defensive weaponry on board, though they're worked into the
design so that they don't appear too obvious (bad for PR).

==== ~starfury ~launch ~bay ~pressurized ~dock ~grail ~fighter

???? How do starfuries launch?

The bay is pressurized, with drop doors beneath each fighter. A ramp
extends to the fighters individually, bringing on pilots. The bays are
depressurized as the pilots (in flight suits) prepare. Then the drop doors
open, the fighters pivot to nose-down position, and launch.
---
The fighters are in regular configuration when the pilot boards. Then
the drop doors open, the ship tilts down on a massive pair of arms, and then
they're released, the centrifugal force of the station sending them out the
drop doors.
---
The starfury fighter is launched by a drop straight out, nose pointed
"downward," toward space. Upon release, it flies pretty much straight out.
still containing some of the momentum from the rotation, so it would appear to
be going straight away from the station because its position in relation to
the station, like a geosynchronous satellite, is still more or less correct.
Shortly after getting out of the bay, the fighters fire up their engines.
which lets them take any angle or direction they choose. So they can very
quickly head away on any trajectory.
---
There is nothing wrong with the launch sequence. It causes them to move
directly away from the station, on a slight spiral, facing out to the stars
from the pilot's POV. Whether or not it looks funky has little to do with
whether or not this is the most efficient means of doing this. I think it's
kind of funky that the space shuttle flies upside down while in orbit, its
cargo bay facing down toward Earth, but that's the way it's done, and there
are good reasons for it. We sat down for a very long time with a bunch of
designers and techies who know physics and know math and know flight dynamics.
we ran computer models, and the physics are right.

==== ~ship ~dock ~bay

???? How do ships dock?

As you'll see in the series, we've worked out the docking bay stuff very
clevely. A ship enters dead center. It is then taken and lowered into one of
a number of different bays deeper within the station (by deeper I mean lower.
more toward the hull). That's how we can have a series of different docking
bays in the first place.

There's a nifty CGI shot we'll be using at some point in the series where
you can see the entirety of the docking bay, with the various ships arrayed
inside. Then there are the more secure bays areas, with restricted access, as
when Kosh arrived.

==== ~starfury ~dock ~bay ~enter

???? How do starfuries dock?

The fighters enter via the main docking bay, where they are shunted back
into the Starfury launch bays. (BTW, for those who've asked, and let it never
be said that we're unresponsive...we asked Ron to develop a CGI sequence that
shows how ships get from the interior of the main docking bay down to the
customs and loading bays. I've seen it, and it looks pretty spiffy. Look for
it in "Grail."

==== ~ship ~variety ~color ~witch ~starfury ~drazi ~sunhawk

???? Will there be a variety of spaceships?

Yeah, we do a LOT of ships this season. I have gifs of them all, and
some of them are mind-bogglingly nifty. What I like about Ron's work is that
many of the space shots are works of art you could practically frame. And
he's done one very important thing: he's brought COLOR into space, in a big
way. Ships are personalized, painted, textured and made into things you enjoy
looking at. The Starfury nicknamed the Sea Witch is a great example of
this...as well as a bunch of others.

Not all Starfuries are the same, btw...you'll be seeing a different

category of them in "Mind War," and they're gorgeous. Also very scary. Not
as scary, but more nifty, are the ones in "Survivors" and "Chrysalis."

Ah LOVES spaceships....
---
There are other kinds of fighters; it's a question of what's intended for
use where. The Raider ships, and the Narn heavy fighters, are both
atmospheric and non-atmospheric ships. Some fighters, such as B5's
Starfuries, the Drazi Sunhawk, the Ipsha Battleglobe and others (you'll see
the latter two in "Deathwalker") are configured only for non-atmosphere
activities, and have different configurations.
---
On the ships...when Ron was pulling together the ships for that episode.
we talked about it on the phone for a while, and I have to take the rap for
the saucers...which I still think are cool. I said, in essence, why the hell
not? Ron thought it was a great idea, and went and made it real. I think if
we ever see this kind of ship again, it'll need some more work, a little more
weight and substance, some more detail, but they're okay.

==== ~civilian ~earth ~ship

???? Will there be starships from earth? civilian spacecraft?

Re: starships from Earth...yes, you'll be seeing a wide range of ships.

from smaller transports and trading vessels to big mothers. It is something
of an empire, and the ships come in as many varied forms as we have cars and
trucks and semis and tanks and on and on....
---
Civilian spacecraft are fairly common; they're expensive, to be sure, and
if you're just going from point a to point b, it makes more sense just to book
passage on something, but many folks now make their living in space, so
transport is required.
---
BTW, have named an Earth Alliance Cruiser Hyperion, in notation of the
library....
---
 The Hyperion is not typical; it's one of the ships that survived the War.
Not many did. There are niftier, newer ships built in the last eleven years
that you'll be seeing eventually.

==== ~ship ~cost ~economy

Owning your own space ship isn't cheap, but it also isn't as expensive as
it might be. The investment is about the same as starting up your own
business. There's not a lot of civilian "touring cars," for lack of a better
term; better to use the liners and shuttles. But for businesses, surveyers.
explorers, traders and the like...yeah, they're within one's grasp. And these
sorts of ships are pretty much all run by computer. No crew required. Just
go from place to place. If it's a scientific survey ship, then you'll have
some more.

==== ~vorlon ~ship

And there *is* a utilitarian reason behind its design. In addition, we

want to show something VERY alien in design and construction...and frankly.
there's NO reason a ship that isn't ever going to enter atmosphere needs to
look aerodynamic. In time, you'd move toward things that are visually or
aesthetically interesting. In this culture (Vorlon), art and science are
closely allied, so this extension into the look of their ships is quite
natural. Concepts about what ships are have become very rigid and inflexible
thanks to the preponderance of SF-TV shows. We want to loosen that up. And
that look DOES, as stated, have a practical aspect about it as well, which
will be seen down the road.

==== ~raider ~ship

???? How about the raider ships? Why so vulnerable?

RE: the Raider ships...they turned by a less effective system of

thrusters put in here and there, not nearly as powerful as the systems used by
the Starfuries. The reason -- verifiable by the shape of the Raider ships --
is that Raider ships are handicapped by the fact that they're made to function
both in space *and* within an atmosphere (hence the aerodynamic wing shapes).
which gives it something of a problem when dealing with the Starfuries, which
are made ONLY for fighting in space, and are most ideally suited to it. The
Raider ships make compromises for greater utility, which is generally okay
unless they run into superior forces of ships designed for spaceborne combat.

======= Jump Gates

==== ~jump-gate ~hyperspace

"What is the principle behind the jump gate?"

Manufactured by Whammo.

(Still working out the details.....)

---
Re: jumpgates...I knew that multiples were used, but was still working
out the *exact* details of how they work, and I hate to post anything until
I'm 100% set, since this stuff tends to end up in FAQs....
---
Jump gates aren't instantaneous; transit within a gate is usually a
couple of days, though it seems a bit longer to those outside.
---
 Yes, most of the energy is expended getting in and out of hyperspace.
with a fair amount being expended navigating through it.

==== ~jump-gate ~action

And the action *doesn't* always happen conveniently located to a jump

gate. Sometimes, it can take *hours* or even days to get to where a ship or
other object is located.

==== ~jump-gate ~ship ~pay ~government ~bill

???? How does a ship pay for use of a jump gate?

As soon as the ship comes through, its signature is registered and the
fees debited against their account, if they have one at the station. If not.
the incoming person is asked for payment before being allowed onto the
station. In some cases, as with transports, corporations buy jump gate access
in bulk, and then assign the routes to their various transports. (Believe it
or not, this actually comes up in dialogue in "Midnight.")

Ah, but remember, the government is the one who put the jump gate in; no
one individual or corp could afford to do that. When your ship, if Earth
registered, comes through, you're automatically billed, just like income
tax...it goes against your credit. If you're not Earth registered, you pay
when you arrive at an Earth port or orbital transfer station. Either way, you
pay. If you try to land somewhere without proper authorization, you'll be
arrested and your ship confiscated.

Now, you could probably come through the gate, hang in space for a while.
and go back in again (IF you're a non-Earth registered ship) and not pay
anything...but in that case, what's the point? It'd be like taking a
difficult trip in a small ship across the Atlantic, and not getting out or
going ashore once you arrive.

==== ~jump-gate ~identify ~ship ~war ~minbari ~jump-point

???? How are ships identified when they come out of jump gates?

1) Jump gates can only give you the frequency identification of a given
ship some minutes prior to exiting hyperspace; just as it's about to exit, you
can get much more detailed information, such as silhouette, mass, and so on.
By then it's pretty much out...but at least you know as soon as it's out what
it is.

2) You can't just shut down a jump gate like a light bulb. It is a VERY
powerful piece of equipment, and it takes a long time to shut down and a long
time to start up again. It's like a nuclear or fusion reactor in that
respect. If you shut it down, it'll *stay* down for some time, which may put
you in a very bad position if you have to leave fast, and that's the only way
out.

(During the Earth/Minbari war, jump gates created by the Earth Alliance
were programmed only to accept certain coded frequenies that were changed
regularly. [That should read frequencies.] This helped prevent Minbari ships
using EA gates.)

3) Really large ship, such as war cruisers and long-range explorer

vessels are powerful enough to punch their own entance into hyperspace.
creating a jump point. (Something you'll see happen in our first episode.
btw.) They can go in and out of hyperspace on their own, so they don't
strictly need a gate, which is primarily a) for smaller craft incapable of
generating their own jump point, and b) to help larger craft conserve energy.
The Vorlon fleet could have come in via its own jump point, but the gate was
there, and it allowed them to separate their smaller attack fleet while in
hyperspace, so they could all come out together, as opposed to releasing them
after making their own jump point.

==== ~hyperspace ~jump-gate ~tot

Travel from point A to point B takes some amount of time. But when
you're near your destination, you can wait in hyperspace and choose to come
out at a specific moment. There's considerable speculation that both the
Minbari and Vorlons have ships standing by in hyperspace, at various
locations, in case they're needed quickly. (In the pilot movie. Laurel
Takashima even mentions that they are probably doing this.) It's a
correlation to the TOT (Time On Target) philosophy; you can send ships in from
various sectors, have them lurk in hyperspace, then all come out at once.

==== ~effect ~jump-gate

We've made some minor modifications to the jumpgate effect, in the

texture and color of the warp EFX. It looks a little less computer-y, and
some science guys suggested that there should be red-shift built into the
thing. So now when objects come *out* of hyperspace, and we're looking into
the jumpgate, the warp effect is blue; when you enter the jumpgate, it shifts
toward orange/red.

======= Weapons

==== ~weapon ~ppg [Phased Plasma Gun]

PPG = Phased Plasma Gun, and yes, the settings work about the way you
describe. At full settings, it burns right through the body (and you can see
this in some shots, albeit briefly and discreetly). We also deal with the
reality of what such a weapon *does* to you...internal burns, clothes melting
into the skin, that sort of thing. We don't get gross about it, but we try to
stay with the reality of what we're creating.
---
Re: the PPG firing...we talked to some high-IQ types about how a
plasma-firing weapon might work. There would be superheated bursts, some
marginal escape of the gases used, and it would burn through the air, creating
a small thunderclap-like sound. So this is what we did.
---
The PPGs are Phased Plasma Guns, using superheated helium. It doesn't
ricochet like conventional slugs, dissipates quickly after a hit, can be
adjusted to produce surface damage, or cut straight through the body, or to
make a big impact without burning through. At full strength, they burn
straight through any kind of body, causing massive internal burns and damage
to the internal organs. The clothes melt right into the skin. It's not a
pretty thing. Generally they're operated at a lower or less lethal setting.
---
The ripple is caused by heat from the discharge.
---
There are definitely PPG assault rifles, which are visible in "Grail."
They can fire faster than pistols, but I don't think they could handle the
power-buildup to fire 3-6 per second. That's definitely slug-thrower turf.

======= Communication
==== ~communicate ~communicate

We're using a tachyon communications system to handle the FTL problem

regarding communications.
---
Communications will be instantaneous in *most* cases. Once a ship enters
hyperspace, however, communications can become more problematic.
---
I've told our people that in season two (Neilsen willing), I want a new
Babcom or general communications standby screen...and if I ever see the old
one again, someone's going to get hurt....

==== ~communicator ~link

???? What's that thing on the back of [Sinclair's] hand?

The item on the back of Sinclair's hand is a Link, which is their

personal communications system/powerbook/mainframe access system/pager.
---
It's made to be adhesive to skin, but easily removed.

======= Medicine

==== ~medicine ~technology ~surgery ~math

???? How do you envision medical technology?

Our medical advisor tells us that regen technology should be well in hand
within the next 100 years, so you can grow back damaged internal organs and
the like, and avoid having to do transplants. Also that the system of surgery
is moving toward non-invasive procedures, using light in more and different
ways.

He went on past that, but there was some math involved...

---
Re: the medical tools...we brought in a medical science consultant, who
helped us design our instruments. His sense was that we're moving more and
more toward light as a system of treatment, non-invasive procedures, that sort
of thing. No, there aren't anything like those devices in today's operating
rooms...but this is 250 years from now. In any event, it *is* based on the
latest info we're getting on new science from our medical advisor.

======= Other

==== ~gravity ~tractor

???? Does Earth have any kind of artificial gravity? Others?

I've said that Earth tech doesn't have any kind of gravitational tech,
including magnetic/tractor beams. The Minbari have a much greater control
over and knowledge of gravitational science.

==== ~computer

As for computer tech in 2258, it's something we're exploring for a story.
Larry has an interesting idea or two on how to realize it visually, but it's
hard to find something that's possibly accurate without making it godlike.
Still, we're trying...
=============== Universe ===============

======= Vision

==== ~universe ~human ~future ~vision

What I want to do with this show is to connect our past, our present, and
our future, melding familiar images with new ones. This isn't what you're
used to seeing. But it's what I want to *do* with it. Otherwise all you have
are unattainable futures about people who we barely recognize as being humans.
doing things we can't relate to. I'm sorry, but that just doesn't interest
me.
---
The main line I've been stressing with our writers and others who we're
working with is the goal of making our humans more human, and our aliens more
alien. Much of our life is focused around things that don't generally show up
in SF television...we cut ourselves shaving, we have to find a bathroom, our
shoes don't fit...and these are the elements that help make a character more
real somehow. So yes, we're very definitely going for that aspect.

==== ~human ~language ~history ~future

I don't believe in the notion that, when we go to the stars, we have to

leave behind our individual languages, and cultures, and ethnic backgrounds.
and fashions of dress. We bring that with us as part of who and what we are.
It's our differences that *strengthen* us. It's not all going to vanish in
200 years. There are cultures in the eastern part of the world that have
survived with minor changes for literally thousands of years. 250 years is
the blink of an eye. It's really a Western phenomenon; to us, 200 years is a
long time, the whole history of our nation. That changes when you go outside.
I stood on the cobblestone walks of Trinity College in Dublin, and realized
that on those same cobblestones some eager student raced across to the living
quarters to announce news of a big revolution in the American colonies. I
stood in the neolithic burial mounds at New Grange, the oldest man-made
stuctures in the world, older even than the pyramids...and realized that in
human terms, 250 years isn't even a blip. We're not going to change that
much.

250 years ago, people worked, got married, had families, separated, had
affairs, and hoped for a better world for their children. 250 years from now.
it will be exactly the same. Only the chrome of technology will vary. For a
good example of this, go find an SF movie musical called "Just Imagine" made
in the 1930s. Set in the 1980s, it pictured a world of people with names
instead of numbers, pills instead of food, and birth by machine. Much of TV
SF makes the similar error.

==== ~station ~future ~realistic ~human ~fantasy

On your point that B5 looks and feels and, arguably, *is* something that
humanity could build, is nominally within our grasp...this is something that
we've been building toward for a while, is part of what we want to do with the
show. At a recent screening of some episodes for cast and crew, the one most
frequent comment I got afterward was that it *felt* real, that this felt like
how it might really be to work and live out on the fringe. Many SF futures
are so far beyond our grasp as to enter the realm of unattainable
fantasy...I'd like to point to something as more within our grasp, to remind
us that we can do this, and that maybe we SHOULD do this.
==== ~religion

???? How do you tie religion into the story??

Let me just lay the foundation here for a moment in the area of religion
and Babylon 5. I'm an atheist, that simple. But that's me. If you look at
the long history of human society, religion -- whether you describe that as
organized, disorganized, or the various degrees of accepted superstition --
has always been present. And it will be present 200 years from now. That may
not thrill me, but when one is a writer, one must deal with realities, and
that's one of them. To totally ignore that part of the human equation would
be as false and wrong-headed as ignoring the fact that people get mad, or
passionate, or strive for better lives.

So we do deal with the questions of religion, and spirituality, and their

definitions, without being abusive. A couple of stories on this area, like
David Gerrold's "Believers" may be very controversial. On the other hand, my
script for "The Parliament of Dreams" is a straight-ahead showcase, in which
every species on B5 is encouraged to demonstrate his or her dominant belief
system, as practiced back home. So we learn more about Minbari religion, more
about the Centauri's rather Bacchanallian form of religion, along with others.
And Sinclair is put in the difficult position of being asked to show what
Earth's dominant belief system is. The solution to which is, I think, kinda
cool.

In the Babylon 5 universe, all the things that make us human -- our
obsessions, our interests, our language, our culture, our flaws and our
wonderfulnesses -- are all still intact.
---
Yes, Earth religions have had to come to grips with the existence of
alien cultures; and religions from both sides have filtered into human an
alien life. We won't be dealing with that this season because we deal with
the topic of religion a lot this season, and don't want to get too bogged down
with it.
---
Garibaldi is an agnostic. Ivanova is jewish. Sinclair was raised
catholic and underwent training as a Jesuit. Dr. Franklin is a Foundationist.
Catherine Sakai is buddhist.
---
What kind of Jewish Ivanova is...is something she's trying to resolve in
her own head.
---
The Foundation is a new religion, started close to the year 2000, which
gradually grew and achieved a fair amount of respectability over the following
200 years (as with mormonism, for instance).
---
Great Maker is a term for the creator or god that has currency among many
different races. Its origins are lost in history.

======= Earth Alliance

==== ~history ~earth ~2257 ~2258 ~year

The history of Earth for about the last 100 years prior to the time of B5
is broken out, and though it isn't laid out in detail in the series, it forms
a reference backdrop for us, so it's all consistent when we refer to any part
of it. The pilot was 2257, the first year of the series is 2258, year two
would be 2259, and so on. The story requires 5 years of story time as well as
5 years of real time to tell. Things have to go through some real time lapse
for the story to work out properly. Consequently, the narration at the top of
the show ("...the year is 2258, the name of the place is Babylon 5") will be
changed each season.

==== ~ea ~earth ~bronze ~mars ~moon ~colony ~io ~centauri

???? How big is the Earth Alliance?

The EA is fairly large, but not on a par with the Centauri at this point.
There are various space platforms/colonies, colonies on the Moon, Mars, a
major transfer point off Io...they've gone in and "helped" a number of
bronze-tech worlds (that happened to have certain resources useful to EA), and
are generally spreading like mice in a cheese factory.
---
You are correct in that the Earth Alliance consists in the main of
humans. Aliens are generally not integrated into the system, except in very
low-level stuff. (In some bronze-tech worlds where humans have come in and
pulled an India/England relationship, you may have colonial governors who are
native aliens, but are basically puppets.) There's more than just Mars, Earth
and the Sol colonies; there are a number of other worlds and systems out there
into which Earth has made a dent.

==== ~earth ~politics ~senate ~nation ~state ~earthdome

???? Will we be seeing Earth, or what's been happening on Earth, during

the series?

While we will not be *seeing* much of Earth in B5 (as in going there).

what's going on back home will be a *constant* undercurrent to the series.
You'll learn a lot about the state of Earth in 2258 in our universe during the
course of the series.
---
Actually, my plan is to show a *lot* of what's happening back on Earth.
because that will tie into what happens on B5. Social changes, politics.
religion, sports...again, this relates to one of the themes of B5 from my
point of view, the continuance of our species,the thread that connects our
past, our present and our future. And again, that's something that'll become
fairly evident from episode one on.
---
The questions concerned B5 and the political situation on Earth at this
time. Back home, there is an Earth Senate, which is made up of elected
representatives from each nation-state; the larger and more powerful the
nation, the more reps they get. Which annoys the smaller nations no end. (And
there's quite a bit of conflict between them; the smaller nation-states, with
limited resources, keep grousing about why they should support B5 financially.
as well as other space endeavors, when their economy really isn't set up to
take as much advantage of the situation as the larger nation-states.
---
The Earth government -- located in Earthdome -- is basically a republic,
with reps from each nation serving as senators or in other capacities.
---
Earthdome is on Earth. In what used to be Geneva.
---
And of course there still *are* conflicts between Earth countries at the
time of B5. Including conflicts over space. In a news broadcast featured
prominently in the upcoming two-parter, because of another item in the
broadcast that's important for that episode, it's noted that the
representatives in Earthdome from several countries have pulled out in protest
on the grounds that since they do not benefit equally from the exploitation of
space, they should not be expected or required to help pay for it on an equal
basis as everyone else.

==== ~fund ~economy ~ea ~four

???? Who funded the Babylon projects?

The Earth Alliance funded the first few attempts exclusively; after
they'd dumped all their money into B4, they needed outside funding to get B5
going, and the Minbari were first to contribute money as a show of good faith.
Then the Centauri added additional funding. Those are the only two other
races that've contributed significantly.

==== ~found ~babylon

???? Who founded the Babylon project?

David...what an absolutely wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

question.

I think I'll answer this in an episode next season.

It's something that I've known, and just filed away, but yeah, this
should be dealt with. And I'll do so. (Though now you have to wait to see it
on TeeVee.)

==== ~rank ~military ~navy ~air ~badge ~uniform

???? What is the rank system on B5 based on?

On the theory that some of the militaries have blended, the system of
ranks is kind of a cross between the navy and the air force (at least the ones
with which our characters will have any interaction).
---
All Earthforce uniforms in this division are blue; EA marines are
olive/brown; security and other NCO areas get grey. Within those areas, it's
further subdivided, and is distinguishable by the horizontal bars below the EA
insignia. Gold is command; silver is for command staff. (Ivanova, being in
between, has a divided bar, half gold and half silver.) Red is medical, green
is security. Yellow is for science division. The rank bars are on the
shoulder.
---
Sinclair and other officers are pure EA military, so they get the EA pins
on the chest. (Also the techs wear them in the dome, and others in charge of
various divisions.) Security is under the jurisdiction of EA, but are a
separate component, staffed under B5 financing. These, and medical, and
scientific and environmental and other areas have their own symbol, which is
worn on their chest and shoulder. You can tell who works for EA because they
have the EA also on their shoulder, whereas those who are employed directly by
B5 have the B5 symbol on their shoulder.

The patches connote specialization: command is a starburst, lines that

radiate into every area; security is a gunsight/targeting symbol; medical is a
stylized medicine symbol, and so on.

Sinclair and Ivanova wear their officer's bars on their epaulets; not the
triangular part per se, but the bars at the very far end of the epaulet, below
the triangles.
==== ~earth ~alliance ~ea ~administration ~autonomy

In most everyday situations B5 operates fairly autonomously; EA doesn't

generally get involved unless there's a very good reason. And from time to
time, they do. That happens right off the bat in the pilot movie, where they
stomp down hard. They exercise other authority from time to time --
"suggesting" that a group of Centauri representatives be given the VIP
treatment in order to encourage them to invest and help to defray the cost of
running B5 (an issue that never seems to come up in TV SF...just how much DOES
the Enterprise cost to run?), and in the series, there's considerable conflict
planned for down the road between those on B5 and the EA officials (especially
since not everyone is 100% behind B5, and would love nothing more than to see
it shut down).

Wheels within wheels...that's the secret.

==== ~sinclair ~administration ~autonomy ~earthdome

Sinclair functions within the parameters of Earthforce Command, but much

in the way as a provisional governor might function. He is answerable both to
his superior officers in Earthforce, *as well as* the Babylon 5 Senate
Oversight and Appropriations Committee. A senatorial liaison often works
between Sinclair and Earthdome (the EA capital city).

==== ~mars ~colony ~ea

???? Is the Mars Colony independent, part of Earth Alliance, or what?

The status of the Mars Colony is in considerable debate in B5's time.

It's chafing under the EA's tight controls. I wouldn't be surprised to see it
try to secede at some point....
---
The Mars Colony situation will be raising its ugly head on and off again
for quite some time to come.

==== ~squadron ~patch ~fighter ~starfury ~line

???? Names of squadrons of Starfuries?

BTW, for those who might be interested in such things...continuing the

Earth tradition, all of our various fighter wings have their own names. The
fighter unit that Ivanova belongs to, for instance, is the Ghost Riders. The
name of Sinclair's Earth/Minbari War Fighter unit was Death's Hand. We've had
patches made of these and other insignia, which get used at appropriate
moments on their flight suits in the cockpit. (I don't remember offhand the
name of the primary fighter unit on B5, which is technically Delta Wing, but
it has a specific name beyond that, and it just fell out of my head.)
---
BTW, today I was gifted by some folks in B5 with a collection of some of
the patches we've used on the fighter pilot suits. You'll see these on the
front breast and arms (both sides of each) of the suits, if only in the
occasional glimpse. Even though they'll probably never bee fully seen, we
felt the need to make 'em real looking and finish them off to the last
stitched detail.

These include the Earth Forces Off-World patch (gold-handled sword

against a starburst within what looks like a cross between a mobius strip and
human DNA), Earth Force Command (similar, but minus the starburst, with
transverse red stripes against a black background), a B5 Fighter Wing Squadron
patch (Flying Nightmares, B5FA-1013 on the outer ring, with a B5 symbol on the
left side outlined by up-and-down red stripes, and on the right a black up and
down stripe bordered by 2256), a rectangular Earth Alliance Fighter
Identification patch (five-pointed command insignia circled by red and gold.
overlaid with gold wings over Joe Straczynski), and the insignia worn by those
on the Battle of the Line, a triangular patch with Star Fury on the upper left
angle in silver on black, FA-23E in silver on black on the right upper angle.
with the inner part of the triangle divided in two by a vertical silver
stripe, blue on the left, gold on the right, over which is the design of one
of the fighters in full accelleration, leaving trails behind it, with the
squadron number 361st - TFS, with UGLY beneath it, and on the lower left angle
of the patch, in black on silver, the words BUT WELL HUNG.

Which refers, of course, to the figher craft itself.

(They hang upside down prior to launch, you'll recall.)

======= Psi-corps

==== ~psi

???? Telepaths are common in the B5 universe, but not in the our reality...

Interesting, innit, how they suddenly blossomed like that...?

---
The whole telepathy issue is an interesting one in the universe of B5.
There have always been attempts to prove the existence of telepathy, but in
general the findings have been inconclusive. But about 125 years or so ago in
B5's timeline (2100-2110 and thereabouts) the findings began suddenly to tilt.
and full-blown telepaths began to be discovered. There were some abortive and
confused attempts to legislate around this, most of which failed or were
overturned in various courts of law. About 2150 or so, the government
agencies that regulated and oversaw telepaths were rolled over into the newly
established Psi Corps, which became a clearing house for locating.
controlling, and licensing telepaths for commercial, some very restricted
legal, and military purposes.

==== ~psi ~telepath ~rating ~legal ~scan

???? Where do psi-corps ratings come from? What are their legal
restrictions?

Psi Corps ratings are assigned from within the Academy, based on test
results and personal interviews/training. Restrictions: NO unauthorized scans
-- you need the permission of the person, tacit permission, or written
permission of next of kin -- and no "dipping," going into other areas not
relevant to the current scan. In criminal cases, psi's may not scan
defendants during a trial or before to determine guilt or innocence, as this
violates the right of due process. After a conviction, a psi may be called
upon to function in various capactities (which will be seen in "The Quality of
Mercy"). A psi *may* scan the victim of a crime unable to remember details of
an attack, but that information must be backed up by physical evidence, or it
is inadmissible.
---
The number of psi's in each category, from 1-12, gets rarer as you get
higher. Lots of folks have a minimal tendency, very few have any real talent.
---
A Psi-rating comes through training and examination of a person's skills
over time. Ivanova's mother never went through the full sequence to get
rated. (Although they generally don't bother with P1s through P2s, so she was
at least a P3 or above, in terms of raw ability.) A psi rating isn't
hereditary.
---
No, the accused cannot ask for a psi to validate his or her innocence;
the trial can ONLY proceed on the basis of evidence. This is to prevent
abuse, trials where a Psi looks at you and determines your guilt. When a life
is at stake, you can't risk the possibility of some hidden agenda on the part
of the telepath. You'd have to use a telepath to verify the first telepath's
scan, and on and on. Best simply to exclude them from that aspect of the law.
---
We're going to be doing a lot on the Psi Corps toward the middle of the
series, btw. There's quite a bit in D.C. Fontana's new story, "Legacies," and
in a script I just finished, "Mind War." The more I play around with the
notion of legalized, licensed telepaths, the more room there is for all kinds
of intrigue.
---
As Walter says in "Mind War," about rogue telepaths, "Only Psi Cops are
qualified to bring them down, so we're afforded greater...latitude." (That's
a paraphrase from memory.)

======= Powers

==== ~league ~non-aligned ~world ~empire ~security ~council ~un

There are more aliens than just the 5 major groups. In addition to them.
there's *bunches* of oththe classification of the League of Non-Aligned
Worlds. The Big Five constitute what is in essence the Security Counsel.
while the rest are the General Assembly. We will see these groups
participating in that capacity in "Midnight."
---
It was Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime, Vorlon Empire
and Earth Alliance, for anyone keeping track. And yes, most all of them have
some other alien species within their sphere of direct influence.
---
Most of the non-aligned worlds have a less technologically advanced
society, but mainly what constitutes membership in the Big 5 is the size of
the government in question. If it's just one planet and maybe a sister world
or two, that's not enough to qualify.
---
The Babylon 5 Advisory Council and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds
functions in much the same fashion as the Security Council and the General
Assembly in the U.N. The smaller worlds and alliances can't weild as much
power as any of the Big Five. Together, they as a group get a vote equal to
one of the Big Five; they can deputize one of their number to speak for them
and cast that vote, which can often break ties or create ties. It is not a
terribly equitible situation, but it was the only workable solution that would
be accepted by the other Ambassadors. We'll see them chafing at this in
"Deathwalker."

==== ~peace ~war ~status ~alliance ~centauri ~narn ~vorlon ~minbari

I'll have to be a little circumspect here (damn it, you're doing it

again....). The Narn Regime is not currently at war with the Centauri
Republic, which occuped the Narn homeworld for nearly a century before finally
being driven off by the Narn resistance. Their resources depleted they are
not currently in a position to make war on anyone; being naturally rather
paranoid, and having just been more or less enslaved, they have a dread of
other races getting together and possibly harming them, as well as a hunger
for the technology that might protect them down the road (as Russia feared
invasion its Eastern Front after WW2).

There's a rough alliance between the Earth Alliance and the Centauri.
since theirs was the first race we encountered. (They told us at that time
that they were the biggest guys around, that they ran everything, that we were
a lost colony of theirs...which eventually was disproven by genetic
examination. The rest of their claims were also BS. They were trying to
impress the natives.)

There's some movement toward making nice with the Minbari, but also a
GREAT deal of resistance, given the recent war.
---
The Earth/Minbari war started with a Minbari first encounter (by us) that
went tragically wrong and resulted in a firefight, in which the leader of the
Grey Council was killed.
---
The attack killed the Minbari leader, head of the Grey Council, Dukhat.
the most evolved and wise soul of all the Minbari.
---
The only questions I can remember...the vorlons have never fought a war
with any other race. (At least none has ever been recorded.) And right now
in the Minbari race there's a big split that took place after the
Earth/Minbari war between the religious leaders and the military leaders.
which culminated with the suicide of the Minbari commander at the conclusion
of the war. They've now arrived at an uneasy truce, but with time, who knows?
---
The minbari warrior caste leader who committed suicide rather than issue
the surrender command was Sineval.
---
...and as far as Kosh goes, better to have him where you can see him.
than not. They *are* a powerful group, and it wouldn't serve to ignore them.
We courted them for 10 years for a first contact...and now we're stuck with
them.
---
The Earth/Minbari war lasted almost five years. The terms of surrender
were conditional; there was to be no reparation. It was simply a cessation of
hostilities. It was not a clear-cut issue of being beaten or doing the
beating; it just stopped...which left a lot of people feeling about the same
way some did after Vietnam. Peace with honor? Maybe, maybe not.

==== ~earth ~ea ~war ~dilgar ~deathwalker

???? Has Earth been in other wars besides the Minbari war?

Earth has fougth in some other conflicts, on a smaller scale; prior to

the Earth/Minbari war, they came to the assistance of the Non-Aligned Worlds
against a race known as the Dilgar, which devastated whole worlds.
---
The Dilgar War was one of the first conflicts that the EA got into, soon
after establishing a presence in space. We mainly entered it to try and make
a "rep" for ourselves, then got more morally involved when we saw what was
going on. That and the Minbari War are the only real major conflicts Earth
has been involved with, and Earth was not directly at risk in the Dilgar war.
though if they hadn't been stopped, that might have changed eventually.

==== ~earth ~ea ~centauri

???? What was the Centauri relationship to Earth?

 The Centauri never really got around to us. They've been in a decline
for a long time; the Narn occupation was one of the last of their imperialist
rampages. Now they're pulling back further and further. And also as re:
Earth...space is big. 100 years ago, we weren't putting out any radio or
television or microwave transmissions; they can't check EVERY planet. We got
overlooked for a long time by lots of different groups.
---
While we were in an agrarian state, and an early industrial state, we a)
were of very little use, b) had little to offer, and c) came at a time when
the Centauri were starting to fall back into isolationism just a bit. The
Narn had the misfortune to be strategically well located, had many resources
the Centauri wanted, and provided other advantages. One doesn't just conquer
worlds helter-skelter; it takes time, money, effort and some blood to conquer
worlds. You only choose those which offer you enough to make the process
worthwhile. That simple.

======= Miscellaneous

==== ~station ~distance ~earth ~star ~universe

???? Where in the galaxy is the station located?

We're still in the process of drawing up a detailed starmap with the

distances from B5 to each of our major governments, but we're looking at
roughly 25 light years from Earth.
---
We'll imply some of the geography in the series, but the interactive
computer program coming out soon has a map of the station, and shows where
what is in relation to everything else.

==== ~star ~location

Yes, we're trying to use real stars and constellations in our script
references, as well as indications of new ones that may have been discovered
in the 200 years between now and the time of B5. (At one point, a
tech-runner's background is being discussed, and they mention that he ran
forbidden technology into the Vega and Proxima systems, for instance.) Which
star is the one Babylon 5 orbits? One that hasn't been discovered at this
point in time...but in about 50 years, it'll show up on the starcharts. It's
a fairly small star, dwarfed and hidden by several nearby binaries that
overwhelm the spectrum visible from Earth.

Yeah, that's the ticket....

---
The sector of space was chosen for B5 because a) it's pretty much in
neutral territory, and b) of the neutral territory areas, this is the one that
seems to have nothing of value in it, so nobody will be interested in fighting
over what's there. This may not necessariliy be true in the future.

==== ~music

???? Does rock music still exist in the Babylon 5 universe?

There's still rock and roll, plus other new musical forms that have come
along, and still some franchises. TZ3 is being played on various local
stations, but not everywhere.

==== ~drug
???? How about drugs? Has marijuana been legalized?

It's never come up, and probably never will, but in terms of backstory.
yes, it was legalized quite some time ago. There are only a certain number of
drugs not allowed on B5; those which would lead to destructive, violent
behavior that would disrupt the station, and Dust, about which you won't be
hearing for a while.

Near as I can figure, all grass makes you want to do is sit around eating
pizza and watching old Lucy reruns....

==== ~money ~economy

???? How does the economic system work, on Earth and on the station?

The Earth economy still runs on basic capitalism; the corporations

under-write surveying and exploitation of planets, in some cases then selling
what they find to the government in return for a piece of the profits, or via
direct exploitation itself. (By law they're forbidden from exploiting or
strip-mining worlds with sentient life.) There is also, as we discover in one
episode, a big market for archaeologists who dig into now-dead worlds for
whatever technology they can find, which might have been ancient there, but
are new to us.
---
Money works as in any large city. You come in with the money of your
place of origin (assuming you haven't made adjustments prior to arriving), and
exchange it for prevalent Earth value credits, as determined by the current
exchange rate. You are issued a credit chit that has your name, ID, other
information, including genetic information to prevent forgery, and that has
your available credits as stored in the B5 computer. As you pay, as with any
credit card, you whittle away at that amount until it's gone, at which point
you either cash in more of your money...or go broke.
---
The credit chits work differently depending on who you are. If you work
for B5, your salary is tied into your credit chit, and you pay accordingly.
If you're a visitor from elsewhere, bringing in non-Earth currency, you
exchange that currency (as Aldous noted in "Grail"), much as you do now.
Difference is, you turn in the currency at the B5 exchange. It is processed
on the current rate of exchange. and you are issued a credit chit programmed
with an amount equal to whatever you brought in. You use it the same way as a
credit card. until it runs out, then it's rejected until you "recharge" it by
exchanging more currency.

It's also tied into your identicard, which has every available fact about
you.

Interestingly enough, I just saw an article in, I believe, WIRED. which

noted that Sweden had just launched on a program of using this exact same
device, same system, on a trial basis.

==== ~law ~ombuds

Babylon 5 is a unique environment. There are only two basic types of

people (speaking only of humans for now) around: those employed by EA or the
station (conflict of interest), or travelers, who won't be around long enough
for a prolonged trial. So in that kind of situation, the Ombuds arose...a
2258 version of a Circuit Court Judge.
 It's absolutely in line with what's been done in our own country.

=============== Pilot ===============

==== ~pilot ~broadcast

???? Will the pilot movie of the week be broadcast again?

The pilot MOW will eventually be re-broadcast, but as of this time I

don't know when that will be.

==== ~pilot ~problem

???? What was wrong with the pilot?

At risk of rehashing this one more time, what's missing from the pilot is
25 minutes of additional material that further fleshed out the characters.

Each of the characters is being solidly rounded out in the series.

showing multiple sides to each character. All I can say is that I think
you'll like what we're doing.
---
Re: the pilot...I've hashed and rehashed this, and the bottom line is to
see what we do in the series and judge the series by the series. The DS9
pilot had to explain very little that wasn't specific to the plotline: you
already knew what a bajorran was, what a wormhole was, what the Federation
was, what the cardassians were, on and on and on. Because they didn't have to
introduce any of that, they could spend time on other character moments.

We didn't have that luxury in the pilot. We had to do what, in essence.

ST has done over 25 years: establish our universe, painting it in broad
strokes, as broad're done with that aspect. And now we can do our
character-based stories. Which is exactly what we're doing.

==== ~delay ~pilot ~series

???? Why the big delay between the pilot and the series?

We'd always figured on going right to series, but once we had done the
pilot, the studio said, in essence, "Well, we've got a pilot, we don't know if
the market will sustain more than one space SF series, no other SF series has
done well lately...maybe we ought to air the pilot first, and get the ratings.
before committing to a series." And that's what happened...much to our
consternation at first, but in the long run it was a blessing in disguise.
because that interim period allowed us to really do a lot to make the show
better.
---
Actually, the funny thing is, I don't much mind if people who hadn't seen
the pilot don't catch the rebroadcast. What we're doing now is SO radically
better than the pilot that I almost can't watch it now.

==== ~miss ~old ~character ~laurel ~lyta ~talia ~kyle

???? What happened to the old characters on the pilot, not working
on the series?

On a classified mission (which I hope we will be able to get into at some

point), Laurel has been reassigned out on the Rim, and Dr. Kyle is now working
with the EA President on the issue of alien migration to Earth, a growing
problem to some, a benefit to others.
---
Pat Tallman passed on returning to the B5 project. Our new telepath
will be played by Andrea Thompson, with the character name Talia Winters.
---
Much of the Lyta arc will now go to Talia, but there's now a different
way of getting her into that arc.
---
What it *does* give me, which is kinda nice, is that the only two people
to have ANY direct contact with a Vorlon...have been transferred back to
Earth. Which plays wonderfully into something sinister I'd kinda like to
develop that the Earth Alliance is working on behind the scenes....

==== ~story ~arc ~pilot

???? What is in the pilot, as it relates to the overall story?

How much of the basic "saga" is in the pilot? Some...bits and pieces.
The problem, always, is that we have a whole new universe to establish, with
all the backstory that goes with that. As it is, it's fairly "information
intensive," as one person put it. We find out about the Earth/Minbari war.
the curious surrender, Sinclair's past, the missing 24 hours, the relations
between the various governments and their own personal agendas, and a hint of
what's to come. This while establishing the backstory of all our characters.
and telling a story in present time (for them).

I think you will find indications of what we've talked about for the
series present in the pilot. Which is why it bears watching more than once;
you'll pick up more information and more of a sense of the world the more
closely you inspect it. (We tried to come up with a pilot that actually
BENEFITS from close inspection, rather than falling apart if you look at it
too closely.)

=============== Episodes ===============

==== ~chrysalis ~impact

Unrelated to anything that's preceded (thank goodness), here's a little

something for consideration...thoughts to conjure with, when it comes to our
season-ending episode/cliffhanger.

On Power, leaving out the things that unnerved people too much to let me
do, I was still able, in the final episode/cliffhanger of that first season.
to destroy the protagonist's base of operations totally and completely and
beyond recall, set up a major change in the antagonist's appearance (the final
mechanized stages of Lyman Taggert), eliminate all or nearly all of our
Jonathan Power's supply lines and support personnel, totally turn around the
direction of the show, and kill one major regular character.

So if that's what happens on a show where I'm not allowed full reign to
do *everything* want...stop to consider for a moment what happens when there's
no one to stop me from going all the way....

"Chrysalis" is going to be one heck of an episode....

---
I have just seen the director's cut of "Chrysalis," which will be the
last episode of this season...and I think it has just displaced "Sky" as the
most heavy-weight episode of the season. Even knowing what was coming, I just
sat here, stunned, at the end of it. Seeing dailies, bits and pieces, doesn't
really prepare you for the whole thing.

What I like most about it are two things: one, by about halfway in, you
really begin to understand that anything can happen, to anyone, and the rules
that normally carry you through a television episode no longer apply. It's a
very dangerous, dislocating feeling. Two: you get the very real feeling that.
after this episode, nothing is the same anymore. The show has taken a very
profound and *irrevocable* turn that will have lasting effects on all of our
characters. Of all the episodes so far, this one has the most feeling of
being the chapter end in a novel.

The really hard part will not avoiding the temptation to show this to
people...because it really can't be allowed to get out prior to airing. There
are too many twists and turns and revelations that spin one off into another.

One other thing's certain: after you've seen "Chrysalis," you're going to
want to go back and check out three prior episodes...because something that
you will have read/interpreted one way, without question or hesitation
accepting it as what it obviously appears to be, will suddenly be turned on
its head, and a brand new interpretation will emerge. And it's *real*
creepy....
---
Re: the Oliver Stone thing...that's a comment made during the edit on
"Chrysalis" as well. I'm dying to see how people will react to what's done
and revealed and advanced in that episode, but we have to sit on it; though
we'll be mixing and finishing it in the next few weeks, we won't be turning it
over to PTEN until shortly before airdate, because we don't want this getting
all over town. There's not a single major character who's not profoundly
affected...or strongly set up for profound changes in the very near future.

I love it...it's my favorite of the season, without question.

---
I give y'all a little gift...Kosh's very last line of the season, in
"Chrysalis."

"You have...forgotten something."

It's not nearly as straightforward as it looks, and that one line will
carry with it *major* repercussions. (And no, it doesn't refer to the 24
hours.)
---
I am *not* teasing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch "Chrysalis" again.

==== ~demon ~ellison ~script

[This refers to a potential sequel to Harlan Ellison's _Outer Limits_ episode.

"Demon With a Glass Hand"]

I thought long and hard about the question of mixing universes, and
allowed it only in this one case, because the events that propelled Trent (the
character from Demon) into the past (our present) don't take place for another
thousand years or so. Thus it doesn't do my arc any harm at all. One could
say that the events in "Demon" will happen at some point in the future of the
B5 universe...unless some events change them. On this one occasion.
therefore, I decided to allow it. But that's the ONLY one.
---
We're still working out the dynamics of how these two universes would
cross seamlessly, without doing damage to either. We've got some solid leads.
but this is 'way too early to get into them. More down the road, one
hopes....
---
Yes, the two Harlan scripts are temporarily on hold, due to some health
problems earlier this season (two heart procedures), the quake and his
injuries there, and other stuff. He has, however, served very well as our
consultant, and it has been more than worthwhile. His health permitting, we
hope to continue the relationship in future.
---
[Ed. note: as of Aug. 94 below]

Harlan is currently writing the "Demon" sequel for us. He is on as

Conceptual Consultant next year, and is working closely with us. But there
are always people out to tear Harlan down, so I'd pretty much ignore these
weasels.

=============== Books and Comics ===============

==== ~books ~comics ~canon

BTW, did I mention that DC is going to be doing a B5 comic? And that one
of our own locals here on the net just may have a little something to do with
it? And that Bill Mumy may write a bit for it, and Peter David, and me, and
some other nifty writers?
---
I work directly with DC on the comics line. I approve artwork. stories,
script and cover art.
---
I'm trying to make the B5 novels and comics as much canon as I can.
Basically, they take place within B5 continuity, as episodes that might have
been. The first four issues of the comic deal with issues that hit the
series, but from another point of view/location. The novel uses B5 as
background of an event that makes sense within B5 continuity, and may be
referred to in future episodes (not as a requirement, but only as
background...no different than when you have to give background on any episode
of stuff that's happened in the past, like Ironheart's escape. for instance,
which we don't have to see/read about, but knowing is nice).

I *really* don't want these to be just throwaways media-tie-ins. I want

them to stand on their own as good work, *and* be part of our universe.

Thankfully, I no longer require sleep, and have transcended to a higher

state of consciousness...ommmmmm....
---
And yes, there is complete freedome to use Sinclair in the books since
he's not entirely gone from the storyline at all, and still will carry a part.
---
The comics series is free to bop forward and backward in time, all over
the B5 universe, wherever the writer wants to take it.

==== ~line ~minbari ~war ~book

???? How about the Earth/Minbari war depicted in a book?

Yeah, I had the same conversation...suggested a structure rather like the

Winds of War, set during the Earth/Minbari War, in that we have all of our
characters in different places, seeing the story and the war from their
perspectives, and how their paths intersect during that time in odd or
unlikely ways. Dell didn't think that was the way to go, that unless it was
set in the present, people would feel disappointed.

Oh, well...eventually we'll get around to that part of the story.

=============== Show Production ===============

======= Writing

==== ~writing ~believers ~quality

???? What makes a good story?

A lot of our episodes are constructed to work as mirrors; you see what
you put into it. "Believers" has been interpreted as pro-religion. anti-
religion, and religion-neutral..."Quality" has been interpreted. as you note,
as pro-capital punishment, and anti-capital punishment. We do, as you say,
much prefer to leave the decision on what things mean to the viewer to hash
out.

A good story should provoke discussion, debate, argument...and the

occasional bar fight.
---
One lovely thing about "Signs and Portents," which you picked up on. is
something I like to play with; implying one thing while saying the opposite.
Look at all the shadow's main representative, Morden, does: he asks people
what they want; he gets tossed out of Delenn's quarters; he is pleasant in his
demeanor at all times, never yells, always smiles, and is courteous; he takes
an action which saves one of our main characters. Londo, from disgrace and
resignation, and helps in the process of scragging the bad guys in the
episode.

And yet everyone walks away thinking that the shadows are bad. Which was
of course the intent...by the way in which they did "good."

Kosh prevents humanity from achieving immortality, scares the hell out of
Talia, never gives anyone a straight answer, doesn't seem to mind it if people
fear him...and we walk away with the presumption that he is good. by virtue of
the way in which he did things that were "bad."

In "The Quality of Mercy," I play a similar subtle game; the first time
you hear about the alien device, you're told that it takes the life force from
one person, killing them in the process, and gives it to someone suffering a
terminal disease to restore them. And everybody goes "yuck, that's awful."
But that is *exactly* what happens at the end, and the general reaction is,
"That's good."

This is something I do a lot in my scripts, which I don't generally see a

lot of other people doing. You *really* have to construct the script very
carefully to pull something like this off...a little game between me and the
audience.
---
If you look at my scripts, you'll find that generally I write very tight,
I don't leave a lot of threads hanging as a rule. Same with the planned
series. No important threads will be left hanging by the end of it all. And
generally any really significant thread will be wrapped within a year of being
introduced.

==== ~character
???? How did you create so many great characters?

In a way, I kinda took a shortcut...the kind of shortcut that helps you

make the characters more real. I basically peeled off aspects of my own
background and divided it up among the characters.

I have an Eastern European background; that brings with it a certain

amount of pessimism, a somewhat sardonic humor, and a view of life that is
somewhere between resignation and astonishment, and gave that to Ivanova.

I was raised Catholic (though it wore off, I'm happy to report), so I

gave some of that to Sinclair, escalating it to Jesuit training; gave him some
of my fascination with history and religion and philosophy. I've also lost a
lot of people over the years, and gave him some of the sadness that comes with
that.

One of the things that has constantly gotten me in deep trouble is that
I'm basically a smartass; I always mouth off at *exactly* the wrong moment. So
this went right to Garibaldi. along with my basic atheism.

The alien ambassadors are less personally based, since there have to be
some alien characteristics about them; a different culture that informs who
and what they are. In those cases I kind of backtracked from what the species
was. and tried to choose as typical a representative of that as I could.
---
"Then explain Kosh."

Okay...you got me.

---
It's impossible not to have the characters change to varying degrees once
you cast actors to play them. Gradually, Mira's personality has grown into
Delenn, Andreas has added a lot to G'Kar, Garibaldi IS Doyle. and Boxleitner
is bringing a lot to Sheridan. You get to hear the characters' voices more
the deeper you go, season-wise, and that's great.
---
Re: Sinclair/Garibaldi/Ivanova basically liking each other; this will
tend to stay, for many reasons. One of the things that grates on mhy nerves
about some dramatic TV is that they invent phony tensions and reasons for the
main characters to bitch at each other, that generally don't mean a lot.
Also, we see a lot of conflict in other shows, but not a whole lot of what
*friendship* means. And loyalty. These three are friends, as well as
co-officers; they will go to bat for one another, will if necessary die for
one another. I find that a lovely emotion. There are plenty of others who
argue with them, and plenty of other shows in which the main characters yell
at each other all the time; why not explore the other end of the spectrum?

I will grant you that this is one of the more idosyncratic parts of the
show; I have always placed a very high premium on friendship...my friends know
that they can call me at midnight, and even if they're on the other side of
the country, or the planet, I'll be there on the first plane if they're in
trouble. And I know I can do the same with them. For some reason friendship,
and loyalty, have become kind of passe in TV, and movies, and many other
areas, as I think of it. So for me, this becomes something worth
communicating.

Bear in mind, though, that after this season, Sinclair goes elsewhere.
and suddenly there's a new dynamic introduced into the show, which no one is
entirely sure how to deal with. It disrupts them, and that is for the good, I
think, as they try and work it out and decide whether or not they can trust
one another.

==== ~writing ~script

???? What makes up a script?

Yes, this is the actual text of a script. And a script contains scene
descriptions, dialogue, directions. (Contrary to popular opinion, the actors
don't just make up their lines when they hit the stage, based on loose ideas
by somebody.) My scripts tend to be *very* detailed, with camera movement
suggestions, optical notes, indications of dissolves vs. cuts, on and on.
---
A script page, single-spaced, works out to about the same wordage as a
double-spaced prose fiction page, about 225-250 words per.

==== ~ad-lib

???? How much is ad-libbed?

The notion of how much actors improvise on TV is *grossly* exaggerated.

I have not worked on any show yet in which the actor is allowed to just change
lines or wordings on set without first getting permission from the story
editor or producer.

The reason for this is very simple: episodes are not shot in order of
scenes, but in order of location (i.e., all the mess hall shots are done in
there, then you move the camera crew to another location, and you do all those
scenes, then you interweave them in editing). It's VERY easy to lose track if
you're shooting that way, and you can change a line in scene 9, from "He said
it's the absolute truth" to "He said he wasn't lying," not realizing that
*another* character in another scene has already said, or will say, "Like Mike
said, it's the absolute truth," and now those two scenes don't match. Meaning
you now have to go in and edit around it and loop the dialogue.

Sometimes an actor may not fully realize that there's a clue, or a

particular line that must be repeated. So the rule on EVERY show that I've
ever worked on -- particularly the more technical ones -- have the same rule:
absolutely NO changes allowed on set without consultation with the story
editor/producer(s). That's the rule on B5. Murder She Wrote, the Twilight
Zone...on and on and on.

==== ~ditillio ~ellison ~work ~writing ~production

???? Tell us about how you work with DiTillio and Ellison.

We've recently, as of this past week, added a story editor to the staff.
Larry DiTillio. Which now makes three. But there's an implicit understanding
that this is a story that I want to tell, and I generally need to have final
word on characters, stories and everything else that involves the scripts.
Both Harlan and Larry are willing to defer to the reality that this is my
universe. I don't mean that to sound like an ego thing, because it's not.
It's no different than writing a novel; I know where the story has to go when
it hits the end, and we have to be sure not to fall off the tracks. I didn't
fight six years to get this show on the air to turn it over to a committee.

I know already that that is going to be probably my biggest problem when

it comes to this series: turning over parts of it to other people. Letting
go. But it's necessary.
 It's important, though, to clarify the difference between letting people
go where they want within a script, so that I can let Larry or Harlan or
others have their own head, as opposed to general changes that might affect
the story arc, which is a different category altogether. The two of them have
already had some great ideas on fleshing out some of the characters now that
they're established, have expanded the universe and clarified many of the
rules, the ideas, background stuff and so on.

I selected Larry as story editor because he's someone I've worked with
dozens of times over nearly ten years; we know how one another works, to the
point where we can shorthand a lot of stuff in meetings, which saves a lot of
time. He's an excellent script doctor when it comes to rewriting freelance
scripts. And he's one of the country's foremost role playing game designers;
he's great on campaigns and coming up with huge sagas, and I need someone who
can think on that kind of scale.

The other reason I had for selecting Harlan and Larry to work with, aside
from their skills as writers, is that they're both two very strong individuals
who won't be intimidated...*can't* be intimidated...and will fight for what
they think is right. I feel that's very important. So they both give me an
endless hard time. Which is needed for the mix.
---
Harlan is our conceptual consultant. His job is to sit perched on my
shoulder like Jiminy Cricket and point out to me the chuckholes, detours, and
disasters-in-the-making that I might otherwise stumble into as I galumph my
way through this show...and to harangue me and keep me on the SF straight and
narrow and to challenge me constantly to do better.

He also reviews stories, helped write the opening narration, has given us
several good concepts on the running of the B5 station, and
otherwise...well...consults conceptually.

==== ~story ~writing ~credit ~share ~b-story

There's some small amount of blurring that goes on in this show; a

freelancer turns in a script, and things get added. For instance, there was a
need to really tighten up the story in "Believers," which could best be done
by bringing in a small B story, which would allow us to streamline and
intensify the main story. So I wrote the B story and slipped it in. In
"Grail," for instance, there's a courtroom scene with a character named Mr.
Flinn that was added to the script (I won't reveal what happens, but it's very
funny.)

And of course nearly all of the freelance scripts have been based on
assigned stories, something that's developed in-house (particularly if it's an
arc story) and then given to a writer to do the full outline and script. So
far the only story developed *outside* our offices first is D.C. Fontana's
second script, "Legacies."

In none of these, however, will you see more than one writer's name on
the script. Just the writer who did the draft. This is a policy I've had for
a long time, starting on JAKE. It's somewhat pro forma for some story editors
or producers to do a rewrite, or add a scene, and then slap their name on the
finished script...which cuts into the freelance writer's residuals forever
thereafter. My feeling is that if you're on staff, you are being compensated
well for your work, and should leave the freelancers alone. The residuals are
really their only way of making any real money off these things. So we had a
non-arbitration policy on JAKE, also on MURDER, and now on B5. You'll never
see a gang credit on this show. Having been a freelancer myself, this sems
the only fair way to run things.

==== ~fan ~script

???? What about fan-submitted scripts?

Re: scripts...for the first year, there will be only two people on staff:
me, and Harlan Ellison, as creative consultant. So the majority of the
scripts will be freelance. For that first season, we've already locked down
our writers. They will come from one of two groups: a) a small group of
writers who I've worked with over the years and have trained to my tastes, and
b) another small group of leading SF writers, many of whom don't work for TV
anymore, but will break that absence for B5.

Part of the reason for this is to establish ourselves firmly during the
course of that first season, get our feet wet, firm up our identity, and other
hits by the same name. It does no good for freelancers on the outside to try
a script until they've seen at least one season, as well. Finally, because
there will be a certain amount of continuity and developing storylines from
episode to episode, that requires a certain degree of direction from in-house
on stories. Very often we'll go to a writer and say, "Here...in this story, X
has to happen. Beyond making sure that X is included, do what you want." An
outsider won't have access to knowing what that X is.

Still, there will be episodes totally separate from the arc, and those
are far more wide open.

One disservice that TNG has done the SF writing community is its -- in a
way -- tendency to *use* SF fans as idea mills. Hundreds of scripts arrive
each month, they're read through, good ideas are plucked out, they pay a
couple hundred bucks for the premise, then write it in-house. Part of the
reason they're always so desperate for material, and driven to this length of
soliciting scripts from fans, is that they don't have a terrific reputation in
the writing community. Some of it is undeserved, a hanger-on from previous
administrations, and some of it seems to have some basis in terms of the fact
that you will never have the chance to see your script through to the end.

That problem does not exist with B5. Our writers are already lined up
and ready to go.

Starting with the second season, assuming we get that far, we will open
things up more and be willing to look at finished scripts with a release form.
I think that providing that opportunity is important. But it won't be such a
cattle-call in the way it's handled.

======= Casting

==== ~cast ~future ~actor

???? Do the cast members know their characters' fates?

Some of the cast know the full extent of their character's story, some
know a little, some know very little. In those cases where we need to set
stuff up for down the line, we have to explain some of these things. Some of
the cast want to know their future, some don't.

==== ~ethnic ~casting ~minority ~culture ~hollywood ~international

 Good point, btw, about the international aspects, on many levels. I
think that if we're going to fairly represent Earth in the future, you have to
go beyond the "token" minority idea. Not just one black, or one asian, but
*lots* of folks in a mix...and not just from those two fairly safe groups.
When was the last time you saw a Moslem on Trek? Or a Jew? Did somebody
launch a Pogrom when we weren't looking?

That's the challenge...to be *truthfully* international, AND to show a

true vision of the future, you're going to need Native Americans, Indians.
Arabs, Africans, Hispanics, South Americans, Australians...on and on and on.
Not to be politically correct (which I tend to think refers more to the way a
character is *represented* than simply acknowledging his/her existence) but
simply to include them as part of the human race as we go to the stars.
---
The ethnic mix has nothing to do with any changes in the series. We
ended up keeping the mix intact. Lost was one Caucasian woman, one black
male, one asian female. What we're adding is one Caucasian woman (Lt.
Commander Ivanova), one black male (Dr. Stephen Franklin), and one asian woman
(Catherine Sakai). In addition, we're introducing a Hispanic doctor who will.
we hope be a recurring character from time to time (look for her in
"Believers" to start with). And we will be doing more of this, not just in
small parts, but larger ones as well. We have been very careful to keep a mix
of actors that reflects what our thesis is: that if we go to the stars, we're
ALL going to the stars.

In fact, we just recently -- when we found out it was going on --

instructed our casting people not to put any ethnic background information
into the breakdown sheets that go out to actor's agents. (In other words.
usually you need a white male actor 30-40, with a mustache, that kind of
specificity is commonplace in breakdowns.) We have instituted open
casting...anyone, of any ethnic background, is eligible for any role at any
time. We hope that this will *further* help us to broaden out the tapestry of
our series.

This is a very committed show, on a lot of different levels, with the

idea of trying to live out what we're preaching. We have an almost equal
breakdown of males to females in our crew and every aspect of our production.
(I say almost equal because I'm *fairly* sure there are actually more women on
the show, many in non-conventional jobs, than there are men.) Our casting is
open. We've instituted recycling on an everyday basis. I'm working on
getting the styrofoam cups at the snacks table replaced by recycleable paper
cups, and trying to set up a deal where we can give any leftover food from the
catering truck to a shelter. We've got women in the writer and director
categories, and two of our three editors (a very dominantly male business) are
women.

I don't like the way Hollywood works either.

That's why we're not DOING it that way.

---
We've had no problem getting the word out, or getting people to
understand our casting preferences. The usual reaction is pleased
astonishment....

==== ~casting ~female

???? Okay, how about casting females in parts usually given to males?

We do tend to try and stay open to gender stuff; usually there's a reason
why someone is male or female, so it's cast that way. But as an example...in
"Quality of Mercy," the role as originally written was for a father/daughter
combination. In the process of casting, we thought, why not mother/daughter?
So that's how it ended up. In "Points of Departure," we have one of your
requests already taken care of...a part of a war cruiser commander who
could've been male or female...cast female.

==== ~cameo ~crew ~netter ~bruice ~jms

???? Will B5 crew members be featured in the show? Will you do a cameo?

Actually, thus far, nearly everyone on our crew has appeared in the
background of one episode or another, except for me. Which is the way I like
it....
---
Nope, I don't do cameos; for me, it ruins the illusion.
---
As a matter of fact, in a couple of episodes you'll see a photo of the
Earth Alliance president. The photo itself is of Doug Netter, my associate on
the show and fellow executive producer. (The woman running against the
incumbent president in the election featured on "Midnight" is played, in
photo, by our wardrobe designer, Ann Bruice.)

======= Music

==== ~franke ~line ~music ~composer

???? Tell us about B5's composer

BTW, since as mentioned Stewart Copeland is going to be off touring and

doing an album and other stuff, we've had to lock down someone else as our
resident composer. Someone suggested here numerous times has now been
confirmed: Christopher Franke, of Tangerine Dream, who has done the
soundtracks for such projects as Thief, Angel Falls, Universal Soldier.
Tommyknockers and others. In addition to being a solid percussion man and a
great musician, he's a real techie, up on the latest technologies involving
music and sound, and will be able to give B5 a VERY unique sound.
---
It was the discussion early on here about composers, in which Chris
Franke's name was mentioned, that bumped him to the top of our list and helped
motivate us to take a look. One more way the interaction has been positive.

And yes, he will be doing the entire season. And composing a new B5
theme. (I keep suggesting something along the lines of "Bali High" from
"South Pacific." They keep hitting me with week old halibut. "Babylonnnnnnn
FiiiiiiIIIIve.....")
---
Well, we deliver our first final finished totally done episode on about
October 8th. Christopher Franke has some *great* ideas on how to handle the
music, and plans a curious blending of music and sound effects in some places.
plus instruments from other parts of the world not normally heard in the US.
to try and create a "new music" kind of sound.
---
The B5 soundtrack for the series is built from many different kinds of
pieces, synthesized (based on one of the most extensive collection of
musical/audio samples in the world, which Christopher has been in the process
of collecting ever since he practically hand-assembled his first Moog), and
symphonic, since we're using the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra for some elements
of our score. It changes dramatically depending on the subject.
---
Christopher Franke is developing themes for each of the characters, plus
themes for the station, for space in general, and for our various
aliens...something that carries a sense of the minbari, the grey council.
others. He even wrote a wonderful little Narn libretto for G'Kar, a la
Gilbert and Sullivan. Some elements carry across shows, but in each show
there are new and different pieces that work wonderfully. He's nothing less
than terrific.
---
Actually, only a portion of the music for any given episode of B5
consists of synthesized music. Much of it is performed by Christopher's
orchestra in Berlin, which is hooked via digital lines to his studio here in
town. Not all, certainly, but more than you might think is from that live
orchestra.
---
Frankly, in the long run, I'm *much* happier with Chris Franke. Stewart
was more of the "let's make a library of music and draw from it and remix a
lot" school. Nothing wrong with that, lots of shows do it. Chris, on the
other hand, uses *very* little library stuff; each episode is scored
individually, and the music is lush, driving, powerful. I couldn't be
happier.

???? I hate that "okay, laugh now" music that you sometimes hear!

After "Grail," we had a discussion with Chris about funny music. We do

not anticipate further discussions. (In a full season of music for B5, this
is the only discussion we've had of a critical nature, which is extraordinary
for any series; he's done a lot of wonderful work for us.

======= Visual Effects

==== ~effect ~stock ~library ~establish ~planet

???? How much stock footage is used in establishing shots?

We did some library stuff in the first few eps, but as we've ben (been)
spending more time, we've built up more, and generally we have 3-4 new
establishers per ep. So there's less and less of it the deeper you get into
the series. (And when you come down to it, a shot of the station against a
planet is going to be pretty much the same in general, unless there's specific
activity going on around it.)
---
We did a lot of exterior transitional shots in the first few eps of B5 to
reinforce where we are and what this is; it diminishes in frequency the deeper
into the series you get.

==== ~cgi ~signs ~squared ~wilderness ~chrysalis

???? Which episodes are heavy on effects?

Yeah, I'd say if you're looking for some cool CGI, you'll see it in
"Signs." I'd say overall that our most effects-heavy episodes are "Signs,"
"Babylon Squared," "A Voice in the Wilderness" parts 1 and 2, and maybe
"Chrysalis." The first three in particular are real blow-outs.

==== ~render ~station ~image ~cgi ~resolution

Also, Ron did *substantial* modifications to the B5 station itself.

making it the biggest single object to render. It has something like (and
this is only my memory) 100 times the resolution of the station used in the
pilot, so you can get right in close for paint-scraper shots. It's much more
detailed and substantial looking.
---
Not necessarily...it may have been 100-times in resolution, or it may
have been 1000-times in resolution...actually, as I think of it (via the fog
that's in my head) I think you're right...I knew there was a 1 and some 0s
involved in it...and it was a big deal...so maybe it *was* 1,000x.

==== ~effect ~sky ~detail

Spent a very, very, very long day today in editing...not out of any
problems, but because of the *astonishing* amount of detail we're putting into
"And the Sky Full of Stars." Leaving out all the live-action shots, there are
25 CGI shots in one and a half minutes in one sequence alone. (By way of
comparison, there were 55 or so in the full two hour pilot for B5.) So we go
frame by frame, making sure that everything meshes properly, through some
pretty intense logistics. You'll understand when you see it.

I've never seen the like of this particular episode before. It's a real
gem.

==== ~render ~time ~cgi

???? How much time is needed to render the images?

Re: time per scene rendering...you have to understand that the Toasters
render 24 hours a day. Ron et al set 'em going before they leave for the
night, and the next morning come in to pick up the finished scene. So you can
do a LOT of CGI in the course of a week. Generally several minutes of new
stuff per week...and yes, that includes long, panning shots. Trust me.
there's a LOT of CGI in just about every episode of the series. A couple of
character-based stories are light, but they're more than compensated for in
heavy-CGI stories like "Midnight," "Sky," and "Raiding Party," to name a few.
---
Here's a thought to conjure with. It takes about an hour to render a CGI
frame that's very complex; 45 minutes if it's not terribly complex. With the
new Screamer, we can cut down that time by about half, so that a highly
complex scene can be rendered in 15-30 minutes. Average length for a CGI
scene is about 60 frames, so figure 30 hours. You can do a full show's worth
of CGI in about a week, give or take.

Today we turn over the raw footage for a special scene that'll be in one
of our episodes. (Several scenes, actually, in the same episode.) Ron's
elves will be rendering 24 hours a day (on automatic at night) for the next
THREE WEEKS to do something very special with this episode. If it's done
right, it won't really draw attention to itself, it'll just be very, very
cool.

==== ~cgi ~trek

Here's a Joe Predicts for you: by this time next year, ST will have gone
either completely to CGI, or 95% to CGI.
---
Also...apparently, at a convention, Rick Sternbach from ST said that the
ST shows (DS9 and, subsequently, Voyager) would be shifting over to primarily
computer EFX rather than models. They're going to start coming over to OUR
turf...and engaging in the usual learning curve, trial and erros, which we've
already gone through.
 Me...I just sit here and smile...and on one level, despite the way it may
appear, I'm pleased. It shows we were right. And if they start doing CGI.
it'll force both sides to again be competitive in terms of doing more, pushing
things. And that friendly competition is good for the blood, it should keep
both shows on the cutting edge. It'll also enable other shows to come in
using CGI, meaning more SF on the air.

It also ties into what I've heard lately, that Paramount is getting
hammered by some of the stations asking why the hell DS9 episodes often cost
1.7 to 2 million dollars an episode to produce, where B5 is doing more, with
half the budget. I would love to hear the response to that.
---
The funny part is that Berman and Pillar, according to mutual
acquaintances and interviews, have been swearing up one side and down the
other that they were never going CGI, were staying models. And now they are
coming to play on *our* turf.

Amblin's got Amigas with ten Screamers.

We've got only one Screamer. But we've got Ron.

==== ~cgi ~crisp ~blurry

???? But the graphics look so darn crisp!

Just a note...re: the CGI looking crisp and unblurred...the blurring

you're used to seeing is an artifact of atmosphere. There is no air in space.
and thus no blurring. (Check the latest NASA footage for more on this.)
That's of course why they put Hubble in space, to avoid the problems of
blurring caused by atmosphere.

We probably could've put in atmospheric blurring to give it a different

depth-of-field, but we have this bugaboo about being a -science- fiction
show....

==== ~cgi ~quality

The CGI are definitely getting better. Year One was more or less getting
used to the software and learning what was capable. They've now gotten more
sophisticated in their use of the equipment, more artistic in some ways...and
the preliminary renderings I've seen for stuff in the beginning of year two is
*very* cool. It has even more of a sense of mass, and weight, and solidity.
---
We're re-doing *all* of our computer displays for next year, using some
nifty graphic designs. Part of the problem is that the boys at Foundation
were doing the displays, and they were swamped doing our main CGI, so that
kinda fell by the wayside. This year we've got someone who does ONLY our
computer screens with us in-house.

Glad you liked the series font, btw; I picked it out me own self. It's
Serpentine Medium, for anyone interested.

======= Makeup

==== ~makeup

Makeup takes anywhere from 2-3 hours for our main characters on a regular
basis. In some cases, we've done something pretty close to full body
prosthetics on G'Kar, and that is nearly double the normal time.

==== ~mask ~prosthetic

Re: prosthetics...there are two parts, the inner area, which is taken
from a mold of the actor's face, and the outer part, which is sculpted. If
you change actors, you do a different mold from the face of the actor to
create the inner half, but you can keep the outer part the same (based on the
sculpture). Usually you sculpt it to stay close to and accent the actor's
features.

======= Sound

==== ~sound ~surround

Just for clarification, while Chris does a great job on the music. the
sound mix is done in the studio with our regular sound guys, who do the
surround mix. We spend a *lot* of time getting the mix to sound just right,
to take full advantage of the surround channels. A lot of the credit here
goes to George Johnsen, our co-producer, who is an absolute perfectionist
about this stuff.

==== ~gun ~blast ~ppg

Our sound designer has finished working on the gun-sounds, and they sound
very impressive. We've come up with a different way of handling the gun
sequences -- firing, impact, and sound -- based more on how these things would
actually work if they existed. And let me tell you, if you EVER ran into or
heard one of these things coming your way, you'd get the hell out FAST. We
actually sat down for hours and tried to determine the effects on impact, on
firing, on the surrounding atmosphere, and how to avoid the 30 mph problem
usually associated with TV lasers. (That is, you trace the "laser" across
screen, you see it move, which means that this beam of light is moving slower
than a bullet...which is silly.) By all rights, it should be nearly invisible
and nearly instantaneous...but then you don't see anything. We've managed to
come up with a nifty little solution to the problem.

==== ~walla ~ditillio ~zocalo ~surround

BTW, for all you who ride the pause button and jack up the stereo volume
(we're doing Dolby Surround, incidentally), I assigned Larry DiTillio to write
a bunch of walla (background dialogue) for the Zocalo, the observation dome.
customs and other areas. Some of it's sane...but the rest...oh, man....

==== ~sound ~space ~franke ~music

???? How do you deal with the issue of "sound in space"?

And just so everybody knows...so you don't gig me on this later...I have
spent more time than I want to *think* about lately talking with our sound
people about the sound-in-space issue. We've literally spent HOURS locked up.
discussing various options, middle grounds, extremes and some off-beat
possibilities. I still don't know what we're going to do exactly, but for
what it's worth, believe me, this has been examined to within an inch of its
(and my) life. What it comes down to now is this: we will have all of the
options we discussed available to us at the final mix-down, and we will try
them in different combinations. Whatever works best is what we'll go with.
And we won't know what that is until we get there.
---
 Today, at Christopher Franke's, I heard the music for "Soul Hunter," and
it's brilliant. It's very hard to describe...it's not rock, but it's
aggressive, and powerful, not at all synth sounding. And I think that he just
may have resolved the sound in space question for the most part. He tried
some things we discussed, and it works great. So this may be the solution
we've been looking for. (Though the first one who tells me there's no
orchestra in space gets it in the eye.)
---
We've found that what works best is to play primarily music as our space
action/sound bed, overlaying just a tad with tonalities that aren't sound
effects per se in most cases, but more sound cues that suggest a particular
effect.

======= Editing

==== ~edit ~shot ~film ~robot

The editing, by the way, is a fascinating process. Television is the

process of making choices: you choose how to write the scene, you choose who
you want to play the scene, the actor chooses how he wants to play the
character, the director chooses how to stage the scene, the cinematographer
chooses how to light and frame the scene, and then you and the editor choose
how to structure that scene using the finished film.

What you have in your hands (not literally, since we're all computerized
now, and hardly anyone uses film anymore in editing) is the film for a scene.
You've got the master shot, showing everyone. You may have 1, 2 or 3 takes of
that shot. Then you get the medium, close, and two-shots, as well as
reverses. You get 2-3 of those, times the number of characters in the scene
(i.e., 2 close-ups of Sinclair in the scene, 2 or 3 close-ups of Garibaldi.
plus the over-the-shoulder shots of both, on and on). Though the staging is
the same, the pacing of lines varies, the delivery varies, inflection, stance.
attitude...there are subtle differences that become terribly important when
you start cutting film. Maybe the first close-up has the intensity you want
in the first half, but falls off in the second part, so now you use part two
of take two, which *does* finish with the required intensity. But in that
take, the actor visible in the same scene isn't quite where he's standing in
the master shot, and you have to go back to the master for the next shot
because that's where you need to see X entering the room....

It's a complex, complicated, exhausting process that requires you to hold

the various scenes and shots all in your head at the same time, particularly
if you want to do any last-minute restructuring, or "borrow" a shot from
another scene to fill out this scene because there was a problem on the angle
in what you've got.

But I'd be a liar if I didn't say it's an awful lot of fun. You can make
a scene play 50 different ways, depending on how you edit it. And we've got
some *great* editors working with us.
---
We're using some state of the art computers for our editing work, in some
ways in advance of EditDroid. The first line is the Avid editor, which
digitizes all of the printed takes from an episode and stores them in
full-motion video/audio the same way you store a .gif file. You can have
instant access to everything; you don't have to swap disks in or out, and it's
all immediate. Once you've edited the thing to where you want it, you save
the information to the system. Then you provide all of the required prints to
the major computer system at the editing house which then *automatically*
assembles the entire cut overnight. Operates almost entirely without
supervision. You come in in the morning, and your cut is waiting for you.

we're able to stay further toward the cutting edge of technology because
we're small, new, and can react faster than something that has to work through
an entrenched studio bureaucracy that has already invested major bucks in its
old systems, and doesn't want to re-tool since what it has basically works
fine.

======= Video

==== ~30 ~24 ~frames

???? Is the show filmed at 30 frames per second[tv], or 24[movie]?

We *did* shoot the pilot (and will shoot anything that follows) at 30. I
remember because somebody or other groused about the extra film costs.

==== ~title ~opening ~ratio ~letterbox ~video ~composition ~hdtv ~laser

Well, we've finished finalizing our main/opening titles sequence, and

done the on-line editing, and now will put it into the process and start
putting whole shows together. We've decided, in order to emphasize the
cinematic aspects of our show, that it's taking more of a movie approach to TV
SF...to do the main titles in letterbox format.
---
Yes, the main titles will be in letterbox format for conventional
televisions...we're taking the footage that we've shot in 16:9 aspect ratio.
and shrinking it down just enough to fit, so there's black on top and bottom.
the same way that, for instance, TNT shows movies in their full aspect ratio.
And we've custom designed some CGI that also is in that format. (In the case
of series footage that we're using, there you'll be able to compare the
regular aspect ratio of the broadcast with what's in the main titles. In
other words, there's a scene in "Parliament" of a Minbari gathering. In
regular aspect, as part of the show, you'll see it one way. We've clipped a
section of that for the main titles and used the full aspect ratio, and in
that you'll see the far right and left sides normally clipped for standard TV
aspect ratio.)

Apparently this is also done on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, I learned the
other day, so that'll give you some sense of it. It's very effective at
giving a real cinematic feel to your main titles.
---
RE: composition...the monitor on which the director and DP can watch and
see what the camera sees has on it demarkations to show the regular aspect
ratio, as well as the widescreen view. Which pretty much allows them to
compose for both, for the most part.
---
We're not shooting on videotape, so it's kind of a moot point. We're
shooting on film, which can be converted to HDTV standards *very* easily. The
pixel density is a function of where you go once you decide to convert the
film. It's now being converted to video at standard resolution; when HDTV
comes into existence commercially, the film will be reprocessed out and
transferred to video at that level.
---
We are shooting in 16:9 aspect ratio, cutting it down to normal TV aspect
ratio for its initial broadcasts. When a) the laserdisks are in time
released, and b) when HDTV becomes more of a standard, the full letterboxed
aspect ratio will be available.
???? Why not just broadcast the episodes in letterbox?

Given that most household TV sets are fairly small, no, it wouldn't be
fair or prudent to begin broadcasting the episodes in letterbox at this time.

==== ~film ~image ~cgi

???? How would B5 computer images look on the big screen?

Films are difficult because the level of resolution required to make an

image that'll stand up to scrutiny on the big screen is still a major pain in
the butt. But that'll change in time.

======= Production

==== ~schedule ~day ~daily

For those who might be interested, I thought I'd pass along a quick view
of the process of producing a show like B5, step by step (though briefly).

Day Minus 21: The script is finalized and distributed to all cast and
crew.

Day Minus 14: The episode goes into serious pre-production, with meetings
on visual effects, wardrobe, CGI and so on. Props are designed and
construction begun on both props and wardrobe and any sets that are specific
to that episode.

Day Minus 10: Tone meeting with director and producers to make sure all
parties see the story the same way. Casting, begun on day 14, is finalized
about this time.

Day Minus 6: Major production meeting with all departments, at which each
scene is gone through in detail, examining and reinforcing what props.
costumes, extras and lighting requirements are needed per scene.

Day One: Filming Starts.

Day Seven: Filming finishes. Editing has been going on since day 2, as
dailies arrive at the studio, with editors making rough assemblies of the
scenes as they come in.

Day Eight/Nine: the director works with the editor to make the first.
Director's Cut of the episode, relying to some degree on the preliminary
Editor's Cut.

Day 10/11: Producers begin making their cut. (Mainly me and John
Copeland.) Sit with editor and view each scene, picking out various takes and
angles, integrating CGI. Sometimes the cut varies a lot from the Director's
Cut and is a whole new version...or it is very close to the Director's Cut.
Producer's Cut finished around day 12/13.

Day 15: Producer's Cut is sent to primary editing bay for on-line
editing, at which the frames of actual film are slugged and readied for the
real thing (as opposed to editing computer images on the Avid).

Day 20: Episode is color-timed to make sure color values are correct.

Day 25: Spotting session...producers, sound designer, composer, dialogue

editors meet and review the on-line edit or CTM (color timed master) to
determine where sound and music should be placed, the kind of sound or music
required, and number of frames/seconds duration. Second spotting session with
visual EFX supervisor to determine rotoscoping or other non-CGI EFX placement.

Day 39: Final mix-down of all elements: music, sound, looping, visual
effects and other elements. For this we sit in the mixing bay from 9 a.m. to
7 p.m. nonstop, bringing in lunch, to determine balance of sound to music.
music to dialogue, which elements to use or lose, and so on.

Day 46: Finished episode delivered to PTEN and in-house.

Total time required: 57 days. And during this period, we are

simultaneously editing at least 4-5 other shows, and have shot roughly another
6 episodes, which are also in various stages of editing.

I've glossed over a few things, but that should give you some idea of the
process and the highlights thereof.

==== ~production ~order

???? Are the episodes produced in the same order they are shown?

The production order was determined only by production requirements, not

the story. The airdate schedule is the one that matters.

==== ~dubbing ~adr ~dialog ~looping

How much of any episode's dialogue is looped depends on whether or not

the line was clear on the mike, if there was on off-camera noise, and other
factors. Sometimes there's almost none, sometimes there's a lot.

==== ~black&white

???? Any chance of black and white segments?

Actually, we came very close to doing a black-and-white segment this

season, and might do so next.

==== ~production ~cost ~money ~schedule

???? How does B5 manages to keep costs so low compared to other shows?

On this whole "costs less = not as good" question, the one thing that
galls me is the knowledge, accumulated through 120+ produced TV episodes, that
30% *or more* of any show's budget is wasted. It comes because you don't get
a script until maybe 3-4 days before you have to shoot, and everybody works
round the clock, ringing in double- and triple-overtime on EFX, costumes.
sets, you name it. So items that should by all rights cost maybe $150,000 end
up costing you $300,000 or more.

In B5, we're generally 3-5 scripts ahead of ourselves at any one moment.
Directors and crew get their scripts *weeks* before we have to shoot. And
even earlier than that, because I know what's coming down the road for the
whole season, I can give someone literally *months* of advance warning on
major EFX, or set requirements. As a result of all this, items that normally
cost $150,000 either cost exactly that, or we actually end up *saving* a
little money.
 A lot of television production is absolutely irresponsible. That we are
penalized in the press for acting responsibly is something that I just can't
figure....
---
One nice thing about the way we're doing this show is that we don't just
have to set up gags within an episode; we can set them up *weeks* ahead of
time, as long as the payoff is self-contained, but then when you see the
earlier shows, now you get more out of it.

==== ~schedule ~shooting ~season ~two ~year

???? How is shooting for season two scheduled?

The time for prep on year two, if we were to get picked up, would be
equal to year one, with the exception that we won't have to build all of these
sets. We'll have more time in that sense. Again, the stories are pretty much
mapped out for five years, so that's already done.
---
P.S. So far the first 3-4 episodes of B5's second season are in
real-time order, each separated by a week in story-time as well as in real
time. It begins a few days into 2259, and the season would end just before
the end of that year, with season three starting in 2260.

==== ~history ~paramount ~pitch

Babylon 5 was conceived in 1986; the screenplay for the pilot (which was
more or less what was shot) was written in 1987. Also in 1987, art was
commissioned and used to help in pitches to networks and studios. The full
project -- artwork, screenplay, series bible, treatment and sample stories --
was shopped to several places, including Paramount in 1989.
---
The first notes and drafts on Babylon 5 go back to 1976. though the first
script wasn't finished until 1977/78.

==== ~jms ~producer ~production

What do I do exactly? Aside from writing my own scripts, I assign

stories to other writers, and select those writers to work with. (Because B5
is tied to a story arc, many of our freelance scripts are based upon assigned
stories.) I'm also involved in every single stage of the series production:
minus any notes from the studio (which are minimal, our last project got no
notes at all, they're leaving us very much alone), Doug and I have final say
over jevery aspect of the series. (Generally Doug is more the businessman and
deal maker, leaving most of the creative details to me.) I do casting, work
with the art directors on graphics, approve and work with the set designers.
wardrobe people, prosthetics team, computer graphics team, visual effects.
every single department. I get final say on the editing of the shows.
mussound effects, you name it.

==== ~netter ~partner ~producer ~production

???? What is your relationship with Doug Netter on the show?

As for Doug, he's my equal partner in the project. Doug's been in the
business as long as there's *been* a business, once serving as head of MGM. He
was my producer on POWER, and he and I made a deal: he will never give me a
creative note on that series. And he kept that promise. If it came in long.
or short, or there was an effect we couldn't do, that was one thing, but
creatively, he left me alone. "I'm not a writer, that's your job," he said.
There are very few people in this town who'll deal straight with you, and
Doug's one of them. So when I created B5, of all the choices available about
who to partner up with, Doug was on top of the list. He handles most of the
business stuff, and I handle the creative stuff. (Which isn't exactly true in
some ways; I have to get into some of the business, and he has to get into
some of the creative, but those are are general areas of expertise.)

His name generally appears in books about the film business, and in one
of these books, it explains that when he was at MGM, his nickname was the
Rattlesnake...hence, Rattlesnake Productions.

==== ~budget

???? What's the budget of a B5 episode?

The details of the budget per episide are classified...but you could
easily take DS9's budget, cut it in half, and you'd still have more than we've
got.

Which is, again, part of the overall plan...if we can prove that you can
do quality SF on a budget comparable to non-SF series, it'll open the gates
for more shows down the road.

==== ~final ~cut ~executive

And yes, in TV, it's the exec producer who generally gets the final cut.
whereas in film it's often the director (or, in some cases, the studio).

==== ~pten

So far, the network (PTEN) is letting us do everything we want to do.

even going for our more dangerous stories. Which pleases me beyond anything I
can convey to you. They're trusting us to do what we think is right.
---
I think that the PRIMARY reason that B5 is as good as it has been is that
we've been pretty much left to our own devices without much in the way of
interference from the studio/network. The day a studio begins messing around
with a show is when it pretty much becomes doomed.

==== ~studio ~set

Preface: as has been stated before, since no studio facility was big
enough for our purposes (we now have 20 standing sets and 57 swing sets, some
120' wide or more), we took over an industrial facility roughly the size of
Latvia and built three soundproofed soundstages, costume facilities.
construction areas, dubbing room, prosthetics wings, you name it. It's sort
of a Lucas Ranch operation, everything under one roof.

A number of shows have taken over and converted such facilities to shoot
series, but I'm proud to note that this is the *first* such conversion to be
finally, officially and formally redefined by the city as a working studio.
It's the *first* new studio in town in something like 10 years. There's
nothing else like it unless you want to actually go on the lot of a major
studio. (And it has the advantage of being off the lot, away from people who
might wander into your stage and, oh, start giving you notes. If you're a bit
away, they have to drive over, and the hassle ain't worth it.)
---
Ah! Now I begin to understand. Alas, my offices aren't on the Warners
lot either; we're well and truly off-campus. Next time look up north a piece
past the Universal Black Tower, and wave, I'll see you.
---
The end of the central corridor was a painting; correct. And I never
liked it. So over the break, we *built* another 15 or so feet to the end of
the corridor, going up, so now it's quite real, and we can put stuff in there.
Much improved.

======= Promos

==== ~promo ~trailer ~teaser

???? Who does the promos for the next episode? Why are they so inaccurate?

The teasers and promos are put together by the Warner Bros. marketing and
promotions department.
---
I have nothing to do with the trailers, except to sit in awe and
astonishment, trying to recognize my episode in the trailer, which is a chancy
business at best.
---
Warners sometimes feels the need to "enhance" the shows through the
promos...and sometimes they enhance them right into an alternate dimension....
---
We're trying to get Warners to re-evaluate their approach to the teasers.

=============== Audience ===============

==== ~trek ~seaquest ~press ~publicity ~audience

Had a reporter in here the other day, and he asked if it bothered me that
other shows were getting all the ink...meaning, I suppose, TNG and DS9 and
SQ:DSV...and my response really said it all, I think. It's like the Rocky
movie. Let the other guys get all the press, do the big flashy stuff, wave
around big budgets...we'll just stand here in a meat locker, pounding slabs of
meat with our bare hands....

==== ~online ~warner ~pten ~demo ~computer ~platform

The one thing that I'd like to point out is that Warner/PTEN isn't in the
programming business. This isn't a normal part of their PR strategy. The only
reason they have done this at all -- the B5 computer promo -- is in
recognition of the online support here and elsewhere. They have had to
contract out for this, and because this isn't a proven (yet) strategy, could
only carve out so much for it. No, not every platform is covered; doubtless
that will change with time. But it's generally never done at ALL. So I would
just temper the discussion with that reality.

==== ~impact ~viewer

???? What kind of impact do you want the show to have on viewers?

The other day, a reporter asked me what I wanted to accomplish with

B5...and I remembered this commercial showing a viewer plastered against the
wall opposite the TV...and that seemed about right. I don't want viewers to
see a show and say, afterward, "Well, that was a nice story." There has to
be more than that.

And while we certainly have our episodes that are paced just a little
more slowly, less intensely, because you have to have variation, have to allow
time for character stories...there are some episodes, like "Sky," that just
hit the viewer right between the eyes with a 2 by 4 *real* hard and say "HEY!
PAY ATTENTION! WE'RE NOT KIDDING HERE!"

Take no prisoners....

==== ~con ~convention

???? Will you be doing more con appearances?

I still plan to continue to go to cons, but probably at a somewhat

reduced level, simply due to the requirements of exec producing this show and
writing a smidge over half the episodes. Probably hit the major cons.
WorldCon and the like. And always, *always* ComicCon.

==== ~satellite ~iran ~iraq ~babylon

Re: satellite...one of the more interesting stories I've heard lately is

that B5 is *very* popular via satellite...in Iran and Iraq, both of whom lay
claim of one sort or another to the original Babylon. Apparently that a
Westerner has set a series in their well-remembered Babylon that is NOT a
negative thing but a positive thing has got both countries quite pleasantly
astonished.

=============== Nitpicks ===============

==== ~rank ~admiral ~administrator ~sinclair ~ambassador ~nitpick

???? Why is Sinclair running this station? What rank would the
administrator have been if it hadn't been Sinclair?

As for Sinclair's status as both commander and ambassador...that is

something we're going to deal with in the series. By all rights, he shouldn't
even BE there. EA tried to stick an Admiral or some other high-ranking
officer there. The first race to sign onto the station, the Minbari, had
approval over who was sent to that post. They rejected everyone suggested.
right down the line, until Sinclair. EA Officials are still wondering why HE
was selected. (There is a reason.)

That post was previously designed to either include representing Earth as

an ambassador (to avoid in-station conflicts) or as an adjunct to one. And at
one point, an ambassador will arrive, and they will hash this out once and for
all.

What you have picked up on are not flaws, but story points in the
making...areas that will be explored down the road. These questions WILL be
answered. It would have been very easy to make him Admiral or Ambassador
Sinclair. He was given this lower rank for a reason...and there are an awful
lot of people who look at this, and wonder if Sinclair isn't just a *tad* too
cozy with their former enemies in the war, and just where ARE his loyalties.
*really*?
---
Is it a conflict of interest...yes and no. Sinclair functions much as a
military governor in, for instance, California's past. Someone in this
position may speak on behalf of his government with neighboring countrires,
and represent others. Does it sometimes lead into a conflict of interest?
Yes. Is it sometimes unfair? Yes. Which is kinda like life, and that's why
I rather like putting him in an awkward position.
==== ~narration ~opening ~pten

???? Can't you cut down on the narration size?

Doing the intro was something that PTEN wants for all its shows; if you
check out Trax and Kung Fu, you'll see it there, as well. It's my hope that
we can trim the narration down by 1/2 in second and subsequent seasons.

==== ~hyperspace ~travel ~light

???? Aren't ships subject to relativity by travelling faster than light?

Actually, I'd argue that there's a difference between FTL travel, and
removing oneself from the standard reference by entering hyperspace.

==== ~gloves

???? Why do so many characters wear gloves?

Talia, like all Psi Corps members, wears gloves because she has to, when
in public, to minimize physical contact and accidental scans. As for others
wearing gloves...sometimes it's a fashion statement...and other times, well.
space is very very cold....

==== ~door

???? Why are the doors shaped irregularly?

Re: the shape of the doors...they're set to notch into the wall, and in
the case of depressurization, bolts shoot through the "teeth" that insert into
the wall, to lock it securely into place. It's much more airtight that way
than a conventional door that swings or opens in the middle in case of an
accident that opens a portion of the station to vacuum.

==== ~station ~atmosphere ~orbit ~ship ~planet

???? Why is Babylon 5 orbiting a planet, instead of being on a planet?

Many of the huge transports that'll be coming to B5 were never meant to

operate within an atmosphere, they're strictly deep range starships, to which
you transfer using atmosphere-capable shuttles. We're not talking little
flits, we're talking about ships that can be as big as a mile across. Dropping
something that huge down into the gravity well of a planet is just unworkable.
If you want something that can handle lots of big ships, it *has* to be in
space...as in a station.

You could park a big ship near a planet, and use lots of shuttles to
unload it down to the planet (gravity well, heavy cargo, lots of fuel, lots of
time, more accidents), then haul it right back *up* again when it's sold or
transferred...or you could build a station in zero G where your big transport
just parks alongside, loads or unloads its cargo in zero gravity, and transfer
it where needed.

And the atmosphere of the planet is no longer breathable.

---
Yes, the nearby planet will eventually figure into the storyline. No, I
cannot currently tell you how.
---
The world B5 orbits is Epsilon 3.
==== ~lurker ~homeless ~station ~earth

???? What are lurkers? Why not send 'em back?

Actually...y'know...it's funny, but I've been trying to come up with a

name for the folks who just sorta roam B5, the "homeless" or others who have
enough resources to get there in hopes of jobs or new worlds, and don't have
enough to get off again...and who play a running game of tag of sorts with B5
security..."Lurkers" ain't bad....
---
Scenario Number One: sending the Lurkers back to Earth. Comes a call
from Earth Central: "Hell, no, you're NOT shipping them back here, we're
overcrowded enough as it is, we will NOT give you permission to send them back
here."

Scenario Number Two: turning them over to their representatives on B5.

G'Kar: "Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention, Commander, I'll
have him sent back at once." Beat. The commander leaves.

G'Kar: "Get OUT of here and don't come back! I don't have time to deal
with the likes of you, we're NOT paying to send you back to Homeworld, just
get out!"

==== ~humanoid

???? There shouldn't be all these other aliens who look humanoid...

Actually, I disagree...the basic "model" of the human form is very well

tailored and may be more general than we might suspect. Legs for walking.
probably two because all closed up sideways we present less of a silhouette
for predators, and two legs are more nimble, can slip through narrower places
than three. Arms to lift, and hands to manipulate objects (show me a culture
without a good opposable thumb) required for the birth of technology. Sensors
(eyes/ears/nose) at the very highest part of the body, best for observational
purposes, hunting and the like.

There are zillions of species on Earth, but you rarely seen anything
above spider-level with more than six legs. Now, I'm not saying that it's
impossible to have other forms, not at all...only that the humanoid form may
in fact be far more common than anyone suspects.

==== ~starfury ~x-wing ~star ~war

???? Why do the starfury fighters look like X-wings from Star Wars?

When we did the research on how a fighter could best operate in zero
gravity, it seemed to require a four-wing axis with thrusters on every side.
We've thus taken every possible step to make them NOT look like x-wings.
particularly since there's no long, sleek forward section at *all*, it's a
snub-nose, and the wings don't move, plus they have the unusual thruster
combination.

==== ~constellation ~orion

???? I thought I saw Orion. Are you showing constellations?

For starters, the Orion constellation would not look like the Orion
constellation from another POV, say, 30 light years from here. Another
cluster of stars might *look* the same, or similar, but anyone expecting to
see the constellations as we recognize them from here is going to be
disappointed.

As far as I know, from what Ron's said re: constellations, while it may
look like Orion, it isn't. It's perception, the mind looking for patterns it
recognizes.

==== ~paper ~recycle

???? They're using paper in the 23rd century, e.g. Universe Today?

It's not a paper,but synthetic material. A customized (to each person)

copy of UT comes out in your quarters, you take it with you, read it, dump it
in the recycler and get it again the next day.

==== ~cycle ~time

???? Why the inconsistent meaning of the word "cycle" as a unit of time?

At one time we were working out what the time-reference would be on B5.
One of the early things we talked about were cycles, but in fairly short order
I decided against it because it didn't seem to mean much. But this was.
sadly, after "Grail" had been produced, and we couldn't dub over the cycle
references with anything else, so it stayed. It won't be appearing anywhere
else henceforth. One of our few continuity glitches.

=============== Will there be... ===============

==== ~holiday ~new-year

???? Will there be holiday celebrations on B5?

We have a New Year's celebration in one episode later this season, and at
some point will probably show other stuff next year.
---
The new year's eve on B5 at the end of 2258 is definitely memorable.

==== ~rank ~ea

???? Will any high-ranking EA officers come to B5?

Yes, there are instances where other EA officers come aboard with
equivilent or close ranks to our characters. In one particular episode it
makes for some considerable conflict....

==== ~sf ~sci-fi ~convention

???? How about a SF convention on the station?

An SF convention on board Babylon 5...oh dear....(slapping self, bad jms.

*bad* jms).
---
I don't know, but I think I can be *reasonably* sure that there won't be
anyone there selling Dianetics books in the dealer's room....

==== ~zero ~gravity ~garden

We plan to do some such shots for the series, in the zero-g section of
the garden, and possibly in the zero-g cargo section that rides on top of B5.
My mandate to Ron is to come up with a way of doing it that looks good. Once
we have that, we'll do the story.

==== ~time ~travel

With only one exception, you won't see time travel anywhere in the
five-year run of the B5 story.

==== ~sport ~recreation

???? Sports and recreation?

Sports/recreation are things we're still trying to work out; not the
conceptual part, but the part about "okay, how do we SHOOT this?" I'm not big
on "virtual reality" parlors or combat...I think people will still be more
interested in playing with real people than pixels. So we're trying to find
ways we can visualize, in a TV series, things like zero-G tag or football.
other sports that use our unique space environment. One possibility is now
being worked on, and we'll see if we can work it out for this season. In any
event, it's definitely something we're thinking about...I just don't want to
rush into doing it until I know we can do it properly.

==== ~dead ~minor ~kill

???? In other shows, the characters that get killed off are always the
anonymous, unknown characters. Will we see anybody get killed off
that's not just a minor character?

You'll get your wish...and you'll wish you hadn't....

---
Matt: the most entertaining thing for a writer is creating a character;
the second most entertaining thing is killing off a character. Believe me, as
you'll see in the Fight To The Death in the pilot, I have no problem dropping
a body. And as far as I'm concerned, only 2 or 3 characters in this series
are indispensible...the rest are open to all kinds of interesting fates.
---
The problem with episodic series is that, after a while, you know what
the parameters are. You know THIS character won't ever be killed, and THAT
base has got to remain, and THIS can't change. And you fall into a habit and
into regular expectations. I *love* to blow up those sorts of expectations.
Find the one thing that NO ONE thinks you're ever going to do in your
show...and do it. It keeps EVERYBODY on their toes. If you can tune in and
never know for sure what's going to happen, knowing that everyone and
everything is fair game, it makes the tension in the show far more real. The
reaction when Pilot/Jennifer Chase was killed off was astonishing...and when
the base was destroyed with her. I was at a con when it was shown, and one
person finally broke the stunned silence and said, "Jesus, they're not kidding
around, this IS a war." Which was exactly the right response.

How this will affect B5...wait and see.

==== ~ship ~enter ~leave ~hyperspace

???? Will we get to see the point of view of a ship leaving or entering
hyperspace?

At some point, we'll probably see what it looks like from the ship' POV
leaving or entering hyperspace, yes.
==== ~gay

???? Will there be a gay character? When will we meet this character?

(And at one point, we'll introduce a character -- assuming we haven't

already -- who will be around for quite some time, and then we'll just drop.
quite casually, that the character is gay. I think that this is much better
than doing A Gay Story. Just drop it in and move on.)
---
To give that information out now would defeat the dynamic of its
revelation. There's some stuff I can talk about, some that I can't. That is
one of them.

And how do you know you haven't already seen this character?
---
Let me put this as simply as I can...in the year 2258, nobody *cares*
about your sexual orientation. It doesn't come up. No one makes an issue out
of it. There are no discussions, no proclamations, no inquiries, no "how will
they react?" It's like being left-handed or right-handed; no one really cares
one way or another.

Can we now move on past all of this?

==== ~tractor

???? Will there be tractor beams on the show?

B5 doesn's have tractor beams; for the most part, they don't exist in
Earth tech of 2258, though other species might have them. (There are
differences in tech between races.)

==== ~mime

???? How about a planet of mimes?

An entire planet of mimes.....AN ENTIRE PLANET OF MIMES!?!

NUKE 'EM!

NUKE 'EM TILL THEY GLOW THEN SHOOT 'EM IN THE DARK!

YAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!

==== ~bigotry ~earth ~first ~hate ~crime ~alien

???? So, humans get together better in the future, is this universal?

That doesn't mean that bigotry is going to disappear, however; lilke

religion, there is some dark impulse there -- the tribal preservation
instinct, or somedamnthing -- that keeps turning up. The target keeps
changing, but the impulse remains. So likely it'll turn toward the new
"different" people...the outsiders...aliens. I think you'll see a lot of
people taking an "Earth First" (no relation to the current group) mentality.
hate crimes against aliens, that sort of thing.

==== ~flashback ~past ~sinclair ~running

???? Are you going to use flashbacks to help tell the story?
 Mike: we're not going to see a lot of Sinclair in the past, only what is
necessary to understand the present...and there are going to be
transformations, but I prefer to see my transformations take place in the
present, pointing toward the future, than in flashback.

The difference, I suppose, is that in many shows, characters arrive at

Point X in a series at the very beginning, and stay there for the duration.
and we are sometimes shown what made them that way. In B5, what I'm trying
for is to take a certain set of characters, and move them all toward
substantive changes in their lives, their characters, their beliefs and their
allegiances. Just about everyone on B5 is running to, or away from something.
I don't want that simply as backdrop, I want that something to *catch up with
them*. That, to me, is where the fun starts.

==== ~powerful ~being ~story ~alien

???? Will there be any stories about all-powerful beings?

Mike: you needn't worry. I find all-powerful beings of any stripe

incredibly boring. I find it more interesting when ordinary people are
summoned to do extraordinary things, and must rise above their limitations
without losing their limitations; succeeding in spite of them. Sinclair is a
man, period. He may have a great calling ahead of him, as did Churchill or
Lincoln or Alexander or (for all we know) Rondo Hatton, but they're all just
men in the final analysis.

==== ~transporter ~transmitter ~matter

???? Will there be technology to transport matter?

Definite no on the question of matter transmitters. That's a little too

much in the magic/science-fantasy area for my preferences. Space travel is
done in ships.

==== ~movie ~guest ~cast ~star

???? Can you cast movie stars as guests? DeVito? Lloyd? Gibson?

The problem, of course, with DeVito or Lloyd or (as some suggested) Mel
Gibson or others it that their salaries would be, individually, equal to our
entire production budget for 3-4 episodes. Which means we'd have to shoot
only 18 rather than 22.

==== ~clothes ~uniform

???? Will the crew wear anything besides crisp new uniforms?

Finally...yes, there are leftover clothes. Why not? There are in real
life. What you'll often see Sinclair wearing, when he's off duty in his
quarters, is an old scruffy sweatshirt/sweater from the EA flight school.

==== ~morn ~norm

???? Will there be a "Norm/Morn" type in B5?

What is a Norm/Morn type?

==== ~station ~inside ~garden ~life

???? Will we be seeing more of the vegitated inside of the station?

Yes, we will. In addition to the Zen garden, and the Fresh Air
Restaurant, we'll be seeing the Orchard, the Pavillion, and the Maze, though
you won't see the last one there for some time. I don't think it shows up
until "Chrysalis."
---
There is some limited life within the garden...some birds (which you can
hear sometimes), and insects, and the like. (In one shot you can see an
insect fly off one of our actors. Yeah, sure, like we planned that....) It's
generally one season in the Garden, and plants requiring variation are raised
in a separate hydroponics area, such as the orchard (seen in "War Prayer").
---
Re: the crops/parkland...no, there are no settlements there. You don't
waste precious land needed for farming and oxygen reclamation and hydroponic
gardens to throw up a shack or house. Those who work in the central Garden
area live in standard B5 quarters. There are some recreational areas, a hedge
maze (as you'll see later this season), and we're adjusting some of our sets
to reveal more of the garden area. No one "camps out" on the surface; if they
try, they're destroying precious crops, and are arrested.

==== ~cloaking

???? How about clocking technology?

Who says you haven't already *seen* cloaking tech?

=============== Products ===============

==== ~merchandizing ~product ~deal

For me, merchandising is one of those aftershocks of the creative

process, sort of an, "Oh, yeah, there's *that* part over there, too." I'm not
disdainful of it, it's just not something that I think about a lot, because
first and foremost it's a *distraction*. You start thinking about the
*P*R*O*D*U*C*T* and not about the story. Then you start bending the story to
work in the product.

And that's something I've fought against as long as I've *been* in TV.
When I was at Filmation, I fought tooth and nail against *any* interference in
content from the sponsor, Mattel. Especially when they started forcing in
characters simply so they could market them. That was the reason I resigned
from Captain Power after the first season; my sense was that too much
attention was being given to the merchandise aspect of the show, to the
detriment of the series.

If a deal is set, I want to be part of the process afterward to insure

the quality of the product, so it won't be a slapdash or cheap thing. And it
should be representative of the spirit of the show. But that, for me, is
about it.

==== ~director ~pilot ~video ~release ~footage

???? What are the odds of a director's cut of the pilot being released
which incorporates pilot footage which was removed?

The odds are zero, since the first version of the B5 pilot existed only
as a computer-graphic file edited movie. It wasn't edited on film, for real.
until we'd pared it down. We'd have to go in and totally re-edit and
re-score, and I doubt that's going to happen.
---
The computerized cut of the pilot is now dumped out of memory, and those
portions only exist on a few VHS tapes of marginal quality. Also, the footage
in computer file form is *very* low grade, like a poorly scanned gif file.
very low resolution. It would be useless on a laser disk.

==== ~script

???? Will you be releasing scripts?

No plan to make the scripts available at this time, but who knows...?

==== ~laserdisc ~video ~release ~widescreen

???? How about laserdiscs?

I'm led to understand that videotapes of B5 will be out sometime around

the Fall or so, from first season. There will eventually be laserdisks, and
the best part of *that* is that they'll be in the original letterbox format in
which the show is actually filmed.

In fact, in preparation for that, we've begun the process of transferring

the videotape CGI effects to film, in correct aspect ratio to match the
original live-action film. As we finish, this will all have to be
quality-controlled, so though it's a burden, I've volunteered to get the first
set of widescreen tapes so that I can screen them prior to final transfer to
disk.

==== ~soundtrack

I'm sure at some point there'll be a B5 soundtrack album, but when, I

don't know. My guess is that it'll wait until we have more stuff from the
series to plug in. I want to buy a copy for myself....

==== ~technical ~program ~cd-rom ~compton

BTW, Compton's has signed to do a CD Rom of the Babylon 5 Universe, which

is going to be VERY comprehensive...all the alien races, including the League
of Non-aligned Worlds, background on the war, dictionaries, other reference
stuff, you name it; it'll also be able to take advantage of the latest
voice-recognition software, so you can run it exactly as the B5 computer is
run. ("Computer, language search, "Satai.") There will even be some original
CG and live-stuff shot for it. It should be a killer CD Rom. (Now if only I
could get my system up and running....)
---
Re: the CD-Rom...we're planning some very cool stuff. I've indicated on
all pending licensing deals that I don't want them to be just one more media
tie-in; they should have some independent value. So in this case, I really
want to use it to de-mysticize what television is, and how it's produced.
Something for educational purposes. So we'll track how the process is done.
by taking a micro-example: from concept, to a scene in a script, to costume
designs, production/set design, storyboards prosthetics, filming, editing.
scoring and mixing. As a culmination of this, there will be 5-7 brief dailies
shosts, all from the same scene. The job then is for the user to edit these
dailies (establishing shot, medium close-up, close-ups, inserts and the like)
into a *scene*. You can literally see the dozens of ways you can create a
scene from the same footage. You can then play it back, possibly with some
music, and see how it works...then play back the real scene as we did it, and
compare and contrast.
---
Last date I heard was January 1995, but the main problem is that there's
just an awful lot of information to codify and assemble, and Compton's has
been going through some personnel changes of late.

==== ~technical ~manual ~program

I believe that Ron is working to put together a possible B5 tech manual

sometime soonish.

==== ~game ~rpg [role-playing game]

No word yet on any B5 RPGs, though it would be a perfect candidate. And

Larry's the right one to write it (assuming I'm not keeping him busy on other
stuff).

==== ~autocad ~ship ~release

???? Will Autocad documents of ship designs be made available?

I really don't know if they'll be released as autocad stuff or not, but

will try to remember to inquire.

==== ~blooper ~reel ~christmas

???? Will there be a blooper reel?

The bloopers reel/christmas reel we did is just for internal use, I'm
afraid (though it's *very* funny).

==== ~licensing ~pten ~warner

PTEN licensing is handled by the Licensing Corporation of America, which

can be reached via Warner Bros.

==== ~fan ~club

???? How about a fan club?

Since the series began to air, there's been a flood of mail and calls, so
some kind of organization will be necessary to handle this, though no
framework has been finalized yet.
---
We're in the process of setting up some kind of fan liaison office. which
would do some limited sales stuff, just enough to pay its own way. Should
this come about, we'll sell some of the B5 scripts through this office. (One
difference between us and ST is that we will pay the freelance writers a
*royalty* on any scripts of theirs we sell.) But this is still in the works.

=============== JMS Himself ===============

==== ~jms ~kosh

"JMS reminds me a little of Kosh...or is it the other way around?"

If it helps, bear in mind in which brain Kosh was *created*, and where he
resides in off-hours, in this big circle running around in my skull with
Delenn, Kosh, G'Kar and Londo chasing one another endlessly, like white mice
in a wheel....

==== ~favorite ~preference ~chrysalis ~sky ~jms

???? What are your favorite episodes of the season so far?

By the way, if anyone's curious, here's how I'd rank the first six
episodes in terms of my own personal preference, from 1-6: "The Parliament of
Dreams," "Mind War," "Soul Hunter," "Born to the Purple," "Midnight on the
Firing Line," and "Infection." We'll see how close this coincides with your
own reactions.
---
But I'd say that our two *best* so far are still "And the Sky Full of
Stars" and "Chrysalis." I just watched a cut of "Chrysalis" today which
finally had all the CGI in it, and had to scrape my brain off the opposing
wall, it's *that* good.

==== ~satisfied

???? Are you satisfied with how the episodes have come out?

Generally speaking, in television, you're lucky to get on screen about

half of what you had in mind when you saw it in your head. So far, the
average here is about 80%. In a very few cases, I don't think the finished
episode delivers as well as it might on the script, but for the clear majority
of them, the episodes come through. And in some cases, like "Sky" and
"Parliament" and especially "Chrysalis," I got *over* 100% of what I had in
mind...it came out even better than what I'd had in my head when I wrote it.
It's a confluence of many factors...the guest star and how much he/she *gets*
it, the EFX, the direction, and other things. But across the board, I'd have
to say that I'm very satisfied.

==== ~success ~show ~rating

???? How would you rate the success of the show?

I'm not sure, from my perspective, that there's any one definition of
success that I'd use. There are several:

1) How much is the project in its final form what I conceived it to be?
This is something that Harlan keeps hammering home at me, pointing to what
happened to him on the Starlost by way of comparison...it was dreadful, and he
had to take his name off it. It's the show I wanted to make, made the way I
wanted to make it, so on that level, I'm content.

2) The ratings. Is what we conceived of interest to other people, or

have we missed the mark? Television, like any other medium, is aimed at an
audience. If the audience isn't there, then it comes down to "does the tree
make a noise when it falls in an empty forest?" Whether it's good or bad
becomes nominally irrlevant.

And 3) Whether or not anyone talks about the show, or remembers the show.
years down the road. Something can get a lot of attention, critical acclaim.
ratings, be what the creators envisoned...and be gone in a year, the flavor of
the month.

If I had to pick one, it'd be #3. As an atheist, my sense is that one

achieves immortality by the effect one has on others. If the show lives on
beyond me, then I am satisfied. Twain observed: "If you want your work to
live forever...and by forever I mean fifty years...it must neither overtly
preach nor overtly teach...but it must *covertly* preach and *covertly*
teach."

==== ~tv ~spinoff ~five

???? Do you want to keep writing for TV?

It's hard, because as much as I enjoy TV, it's basically ephemeral; books
stick around. And I got into this whole gig at the beginning by writing
prose. Which is why, as I've noted before, if the B5 story goes its full
length -- whether that's just 5 years, or with a possible spinoff, 10 years --
when it's over, I'm retiring from TV. By that point, I will have said
everything I want to say for TV. Then it's a house somewhere outside London
or Cambridge, and novels. I figure I'll be about 50 at that point (assuming
10 years), and I'll have enough years left in me to tell some decent stories
before it gets dark outside.

==== ~record ~activity ~genie ~chronology ~dailies

???? Are you keeping a record of your activities in the creation of B5?

As for keeping a record...I try, if spottily. Oddly enough, the very

best record of this process exists in the multi-megabytes that have been
exchanged here, on GEnie and elsewhere. It's something of a living
chronology. I try to take photos on the set (when I remember), and I'm
keeping 1 copy of each day's dailies, instead of recycling the tapes.

==== ~past ~writing ~break ~start

???? What things have you worked on in the past? How did you break
into writing?

I've always found "how/when did you get your break into writing" to be a
very weird question, at least in my case; like asking a doctor, "when did you
get your break into foot surgery." It wasn't one thing at one time. This is
a career that I've prepared for, and worked toward, and entered incrementally
over a very long period. I always knew that I would be a writer, used to
collect pencils and paperclips and could determine the better grade of erasers
and #10 pencils at an age when most kids were still trying to figure out which
end to hold. It's just a quirk.

When I was 16, after having read comprehensively in every genre I could
get my hands on, I decided that now was a good time to start. So I began
writing. Short stories, poems, playlets, articles, you name it, I wrote it. I
didn't show anyone at first, just kept slamming words together in the process
of learning how to make little explosions of character and action. When I felt
ready -- six months later -- I began showing it around. The high school I was
attending began producing some of my one-acts, and commissioned a full play
from me; I began selling articles to local newspapers and magazines; even
placed a one-act with a local theater, which decided to produce it before
discovering that I was only 17 years old. (When I showed up, they kept
waiting for my parents to arrive, until I pointed out that *I* was the JMS on
the script.)

After that, it was just a process of *writing* and *sending it out*.

There is no mystery, no big break, no sudden revelation or secret handshake.
Bit by bit, I sold more articles, sold more plays, sold some short stories.
and bit by bit, almost without noticing, the list of credits got longer until
one day, people started asking me when I knew I'd Made It as a writer, when it
hadn't ever occured to me that I *had* made it as a writer...I hadn't realized
it'd happened.

It's the difference, I suppose, between buying a finished house, and

there it is...and watching the house go up brick by brick over a long period
of time. At what point did it "become" a house?

It's probably not a helpful answer, but it's the only one I have....
---
Tolkien's work had a *profound* effect on me in college; as I later read
all of the background material, the reams and reams of "history" that he wrote
to background his novels, I began to realize that *that's* the way to do it.
So I tried to take that kind of approach, filling out as much as humanly
possible about the universe, characters and history. It's the only really
sensible way to tackle something this large.

==== ~jms ~book

???? What did you read growing up?

My favorite books when growing up: the Lord of the Rings trilogy. a
Lovecraft anthology (The Color out of Space), and the Martian Chronicles.

==== ~straczynski ~jms ~name ~formality

???? Why "J. Michael Straczynski"? What do people call you? What do we call
you? How is it pronounced?

It's "J. Michael Straczynski" on title credits mainly because that's the
way it looks best, frankly. Lets you sneak up on the whole name in
progressively larger bites. Joe Michael Straczynski looks kinda dumb to me.
also too long; Joe Straczynski is too short, and unbalanced in terms of layout
(he said quickly). My friends call me Joe. My crew calls me Joe. One person
on the crew kept calling me Mr. Straczynski, which you should try saying out
loud sometime. Even *I* can't do it. It was so painful to listen to that
after a while I kept calling back "Joe" at him until he got the message.
---
I've never been real big on formality. And I know that typing
Straczynski can be a fearsome thing indeed. Fingers were never meant to move
in that particular configuration, I think, and more than one person has had to
dial 911 with his nose when his fingers tangled on the keyboard.

Point being..."Joe" is just fine. If there's another Joe in a thread (as

above), "Mr. S." is is also fine if you need to make the distinction. (One or
two have called me Big S. Some comment that I'm the biggest S in town...and I
wish they wouldn't smile quite so broadly when they say it, or hold it quite
so long.)

In any event, we're all in this together, so I think we can let formality
slide.
---
Americanized version: struh-zin-ski.

Byeloruss (native) version: strah-chin-ski.

==== ~straczynski ~power ~lingerie ~household

???? Is Straczynski a household name?

I hate to burst any bubbles, but I can go just about anywhere in the U.S.
and find that nobody knows the name Straczynski, and the only time I've caused
a mob scene at a K-mart was in a tussle over the last Captain Power
figures...or was that when I wandered into the lingerie section and...well.
never mind.

==== ~role ~gerrold ~believers ~executive ~producer

Here's one of those interesting little things that happen sometimes

during production. We're shooting "Believers," David Gerrold's story. Now.
when we break for lunch, we all eat together -- crew, cast, writers.
producers, everybody -- in this little area behind the stage. I try to
encourage everybody to stick around for lunch rather than split so that we can
maintain that sense of being a real unit.

Anyway, I'm sitting across from someone I've seen on set a few times.
who's apparently the teacher for a young actor we're using (Jonathon Kaplan)
in "Believers." I don't make a big deal out of my position on the show, dress
like everybody else, so the guy sitting across from me at the table asks, "So.
who do you play in this?"

Unable to resist the temptation, I say, "I play the executive producer."

==== ~jms ~camera ~ellison ~tv

???? Wanna be on Tee Vee?

As for me...the TV camera doesn't like me, it just sorta slides over me
and adds 10 years to me. Complicated by the fact that when I'm shoved in
front of a TeeVee camera, my head retracts like a turtle, my neck disappears.
and everything goes everywhere. Harlan, on the other hand, is comfortable
before a camera. The camera *loves* Harlan.

==== ~earthquake

???? How did you and Babylon 5 come through the big 1994 earthquake?

Came through pretty much okay, all considered. At the house, the living
room fireplace is now IN the living room (on the floor), the patio has
separated from the rest of the house, there's major cracks all over the place.
everything that was on shelves is now on the floor...but the stage came
through okay, and we're back to shooting today, if possibly on a reduced
schedule. (Everyone was given the option of not coming in today, but everyone
wanted to show support, get back on the horse again, and get going. Some even
came in on their own time Monday to help with cleanup.)
---
The worst part of the quake, really, was that my house was without
electricity until Midnight Thursday night. So I'd write (up against a real
deadline because of the quake) at the office, charge up my notebook computer.
go home, fire up the notebook, and write scripts by flashlight.

==== ~religion ~spirituality ~atheist

???? Where do you stand on religion?

I am an atheist, a total atheist, and am more than happy. What I write

is what I write, what I am is what I is.
 Yes, much of my own background goes into what I write. In the case of
religion, and spirituality...a writer's job is to be as honest as he can in
telling a story. My canvas (for lack of a less grandiose term) is the human
condition. And since the dawn of sentience, humanity has been trying to
figure out its place in the universe. The religious impulse is as much a part
of that process as anything else, and it must be treated with integrity and
respect, as I would have my own views respected. I try not to exclude
something just because I don't agree with it, because that corrupts the whole
purpose of writing, which requires an honest look at the subject.

And as a writer, there are parts of the religious impulse that I want to
examine, and explore, and raise questions about, just as much as I'd like to
explore the scientific aspects of living in space, and the more personal.
emotional repercussions of this. It's all a part of trying to figure out who.
and what, and *why* we are.
---
Actually, religion isn't totally irrelevant to B5 in that in several
episodes we'll be dealing with, or touching upon that issue...there's a bit of
it in "Soul Hunter," "By Any Means Necessary," "The Parliament of Dreams,"
"Legacies," "Believers" and a couple of others.
---
I've never felt the need, as a writer, to be didactic about this stuff.
No, I don't believe in an afterlife...I also don't believe in the actual
existence of Vorlons, either, but I write about them. I don't think it's a
requirement. H.P. Lovecraft was one of our best writers of supernatural
fiction, but I very much doubt that he believed in the Old Ones, or made
bi-weekly offerings to Cthulhu.

All areas of human endeavor should be open to exploration, discussion and

analysis, for what we can learn from them.

==== ~nepotism ~drennan ~spousal ~means ~necessary

One thing I can mention now, since it's nearly finished: see, I have this
real problem with nepotism. Specifically...I hate it. As a result, I make
people I know work twice as hard. The closer the tie, the more the person has
to work to prove him or herself.

Kathryn Drennan, my Spousal Overunit, is also a writer, and has written

for many other shows, primarily in animation, but with some forays into other
areas. (She was co-author on the Night Gallery series of articles I wrote for
Twilight Zone Magazine, as one fr'instance, and was a producer with public
televison for some time.)

Anyway, she desperately wanted to write a B5 script. But because of my

feelings about nepotism, I refused to give her an assignment. (I can be a
REAL pain in the ass.) Something similar happened when I was working on The
Real Ghostbusters; she loved the show, and wanted to write for it. I put her
through the wringer: she had to submit written premises, just like any other
freelance writer, which were then sent on to the producers for final approval.
They did not know of any relation between her and me; they based their
approval only on the merits of the story. Period. And she ended up writing
two episodes: "Egon's Dragon" and "The Man Who Never Reached Home." (The
former is considered a favorite by many viewers of the show.) Only long after
we finished production did the exec producers on TRGBs learn that there was a
relationship there; it was all based on the quality of the work.

But in the case of B5, I *am* the exec producer, so it became more
difficult. At first I said simply no. Finally, I set into place a number of
conditions/provisions. NOT because she wouldn't do a great script, but only
because I don't like the look of nepotism; I hate it, and I hate the way this
town operates on the principles of nepotism. The conditions were that she had
to write the script completely on spec, no assignment; not a spec outline.
which is shorter, but a spec *script*. It would then have to pass muster
in-house; if even one person thought it wasn't up to snuff, it got deep sixed.
And revisions would not be handled by me, for the most part; she would have to
work with Larry, who has a reputation (as Katherine Lawrence can attest) to
not pulling his punches. No favoritism. Then the script would have to pass
muster with Warners. IF, after all that, the script was approved, then it
would be bought, and not a moment before. If anywhere along the line it
didn't meet one of those criteria...then it would be a 50 page learning
experience and nothing more.

Well, I'm pleased to say that it *did* pass muster with everyone, and "By
Any Means Necessary" is now over halfway through production, with a number of
people -- including Michael O'Hare -- saying it's their favorite so far.
mainly for very odd reasons. The premise is one that ST would never, EVER do.
which is one thing I like about it; it also shows us more on the inner
workings of B5, the blue-collar types who keep the whole place
operational...and what happens when that falls apart. The B story gets into a
confrontation between G'Kar and Londo when Londo interferes in an important
Narn religious observation.
---
Kathryn's last name is Drennan. Her full credit is Kathryn M. Drennan.
Not Straczynski. Probably displaying considerable wisdom on her part. Ten
thousand letters, no vowels.

==== ~favorite ~television ~prisoner

???? What's the coolest show ever made?

Disagreement: the coolest show ever made is THE PRISONER. I hope to

capture a little of the flavor of that show, mainly by playing a little with
surrealism, what's real and what's not...but it'll pale beside that show. THE
PRISONER, for me, is the perfect television program. I've never really seen
its equal.

==== ~message ~comment ~online

???? Are you still keeping up with the online community?

Yes, I try to log on here about once a day, and though it's getting
tougher, I still read through *all* the messages in this area, though at times
I skim a bit. From my perspective, I try not to get in the way of the
discussion, by either encouraging or discouraging positive or negative
comments. If I think someone is being unfair, or is just coming in to lob in
a firecracker, watch everyone scatter and yell, and then run away (as the
occasional spineless mindfucker among us is wont to do), I either fire back.
or simply ignore the post.

The one major reason I decided to begin this interaction, despite

CONSIDERABLE discourgement and disbelief from my peers, is that I think it may
be of some use, and because I think that one should be willing to stand
publicly with what you create, and because though many criticisms are issues
of taste or subjective preference, sometimes (fairly often, actually), I learn
something from the discussion, or I'm corrected in something, and that
realignment is eventually reflected in the show. I'm giving some serious
thought to either revamping n'grath or killing him off given the reaction
(paired with my own). I won't be dictated to, but in some cases, as with
n'grath, I may be uncertain, but willing to try and see if the experiment
works. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, and the general perception
here seems close to my own. In addition, I was initially going to gloss over
some of the legal aspects of the Psi Corps in "The Quality of Mercy," but when
so many people expressed interest in how that worked, and when I saw some
measure of confusion about it, I took the time to indicate how the legal
aspects work when it came time to complete that script, thus answering the
questions.

Sure, there've been more hostile or abusive or insulting messages posted

here, primarily to get a reaction...I've seen that game before, and I'm
neither impressed nor annoyed. The general level of the discussion -- pro AND
con -- is still generally of a high level, and quite revealing. The
experiment continues.
---
BTW...someone dropped me an email note mentioning in passing that
somewhere else there's a discussion going on about *this* discussion, and
indicating that my presence here inhibits criticism of B5.

First, if I believed that, I wouldn't be here. Second...it ain't true.

Along with logging on here and on a number of other systems under my own
name, there are a few BBSs -- regional and national -- which have B5
discussions giong on where I also hang out...but either under a pseudonym, or
without leaving messages, thus no one knows I'm lurking. I do this in order
to get an unbiased view of the show, without my presence affecting the
discussion one way or another. Call it a control group, if you will.

And on those forums where I'm not known to be there, what you get are
generally "I liked it" or "I didn't like it," about as broad as that. Very
little of the (to use the phrase of others) nits and detailed analyses that go
on on the systems where I *am* known to hang out. Since there's a conduit for
direct feedback to the show, people here and on the other services where I'm
on as myself tend to provide MORE criticism of the show, not less. In some
cases, the occasional person may feel that he HAS to find something to nit at.
because there is the implicit request for feedback.

Nor do I try to get in the way of negative feedback; if I think that

someone is getting personal in an attack, or making an unfair accusation, or
blaming me for something that the show never did...I fire back. I try to
answer all questions as non-judgmentally as possible, and if someone asks if
something's going to be done, point to the forthcoming episode where it *is*
done.

I don't try to change people's opinions here (I let the show do that).
don't try to intimidate people into silence (I don't think it's *possible* to
intimidate this particular group in *any* event), and I have a much lower
estimation for those who skulk off in dark corners to mutter their criticisms
of the discussion here than speak openly. I'm insulted by the allegation, and
frankly think that anyone here who has been taking part in the discussion here
should feel insulted about being portrayed as spineless and toadying, which is
the implicit statement behind the allegation.

If I *ever* got the impression that my presence here was inhibiting an

open discussion, inhibiting criticism, I'd log off. But near as I can tell.
being here *encourages* criticism, in greater volume than elsewhere. The day
that changes, I'm outta here.
==== ~online ~newsgroup ~internet ~genie

???? What do you get from hanging out in the Babylon 5 newsgroup?

What do I get from the newsgroup? A "sense of the room," primarily, I

suppose. And knowing that someone's looking over your shoulder, and that this
person is *right in your face*, and you can't avoid it, and you will havae to
answer hard questions if you screw up, tends to keep you honest. One can hide
behind isolation. One of the problems in TV is that if you get to a position
high enough, lots of people around you start saying everything's just
wonderful, you get "yes-men" and nobody tells you the truth anymore. I don't
think I have that problem here. If anything, it's just the opposite; because
I expect criticism...or, more accurately, because people *expect* that I
expect criticism, that critiques are expected of them, there's MORE of it than
on the systems where I lurk and my presence isn't generally known.

Beyond that...I've always felt that SF fans, particular SF media fans.

are the most exploited group of viewers around. They're expected to watch the
show, pony up the dough for merchandise, then shut up and be good little
viewers. It's very difficult at times -- emotionally, and in terms of time
and energy -- to stick around (there are currently 1,154 messages in my GEnie
internet mailbox), but I think that it's important to keep with it. Because
it's a way of showing respect to the viewer, to be open and accountable and
responsive. Sometimes I get cranky, but I'm human, and that'll happen from
time to time. Usually I avoid that.

It just seems the courteous and proper thing to do. Does that make ANY
kind of sense to anybody...?
---
Best thing about the net is that it forces you to ask questions. The job
of the writer is to come up with every possible question about your character
and your world, and answer it, giving both greater verasimilitude. But nobody
can come up with EVERY conceivable question; but on the nets, you get
questions you never *dreamed* of. Which helps.
---
Well, now, lemme defend the Internet for a second...what I find most
interesting about it is that most of the Internet stuff comes in via major
colleges, universities, research labs and the like. So when you're dealing
with a lot of people of college age, you're going to encounter rough spots.
BUT...what you *also* get are people who are pretty sharp, have access to
research material, are academics and scientists and research students...and
lemme tell you, they keep you on your toes.

It's easy to hang out in a room where people are generally nice to
you...and certainly relaxing; I tend to come here more with a sense of
relaxing with friends, where there is some measure of "put up the persona and
perform" on Internet...but one should be open to the tough stuff as well.
Granted, at times it makes me cranky, and I probably respond with more heat
than I'd like...but again, that's really more the exception than the rule.
There's a lot of nifty people there.
---
"And jms seems to be doing just fine...right, Joe?"

Yeah...absolutely...fine...look, hand me those crayons, okay...though I

don't know why...the black one's all flat and you can't make good lines with
it and they won't let me sharpen it because the last time I used the sharpener
I put Nurse Filbee's finger in it but that wasn't my fault, she pointed it at
me, so if I just have the crayons, the ones with the good points, I can get
this done, get this done, on deadline, the deadlines are important, do you
like the peach color or the green for the rabbit...?

What was the question again?

==== ~story ~idea ~online

???? Have you had problems with story ideas slipping through?

I have thus far changed about 3 or 4 minor elements because someone

posted what could constitute a story idea that came uncomfortably close to
what we were doing this season. Fortunately, they were small things, and
didn't affect anything substantial, but it is kind of a pain in the ass.

==== ~online ~speculation

???? Has anybody online speculated correctly what's gonna happen?

Nothing on any of the systems, no. But at one convention back east, I
was standing waiting to go on at a presentation, and a young woman came up to
me and laid out a conjecture that was 100% right in every single aspect. She'd
pegged it precisely. I tried to conceal my growing horror. Then she said.
"But *nobody* would be crazy enough to try something like that, so THAT can't
be it." And with that, she toddled off...and I made no effort to correct her
assumption.

==== ~online ~flaming ~offend

???? With all this criticism online, you must be immune from flaming.

Immune from flaming? Hardly. I've been flamed so much, if I even so

much as *touch* a Jiffy-Pop Popcorn shaker it goes off....
---
I work with Larry DiTillio. Nothing offends me.

==== ~critic

???? How do you deal with all the critics in the media?

Here is the one and only thing I really have to say about critics (at
least until otherwise provoked).

When "Lost in Space" went on the air, every critic hated it; they hated
the cast, they hated the writing, they hated the sets...they panned it
royally. About a year later, when LiS was a big hit, and was selling magazine
covers, a lot changed. Then "Star Trek" appeared...and was crucified by the
critics. They hated the cast, they hated the writing, they hated the
sets...TV Guide in particular. They roundly dismissed it as an attempt to
cash in on "Lost in Space"'s success. Critics attacked Patrick Stewart in
TNG for being stiff and unappealing, attacked DS9 on similar grounds.....

They *always* attack SF. Always have, always will. And always unfairly.
---
I'm hesitant to get into the question of critics, and why they say what
they say, because obviously anything I say is going to proceed from an agenda.
and a certain bias on my part. So if we accept that going in, then I suppose
I can speculate a little....

As has been pointed out here by others, SF television has a history of

getting crummy reviews. I haven't seen one SF show, however good or bad, that
didn't start out getting *creamed* by reviewers. Some of the TNG original
reviews that've been posted here are a hell of a lot worse than most of what
the critics have said about us. The majority of them do not like SF, don't
care for SF, don't understand SF, and want to stick it in a pigeon hole, "Oh.
it's like this." What they don't recognize, they try to make fit their
preconceptions...or they pan it.

Also, there's the issue of pride. A lot of critics are (now) saying that
TNG is this wonderful show (where once they derided it). Same with DS9, and
that everything else is crap. Anything that might be perceived by them as a
threat *to their published opinion* is something that they will attack.

Mind, I'm separating out those who might not particularly like the show
from those who are going out of their way to assassinate the series before it
even gets going. I'd point to the USA Today review that just came out as
emblematic of that approach. He says that yes, it might get the ratings, it
might succeed, but you should in essence be ashamed if that happens. People
have targeted this show with *incredible* vehemence bordering on character
assassination.

I'd separate this out from some reviews that've come in, in the LA Times.
and Hollywood Reporter, that didn't gush, that raised concerns, some of which
I agree with. They were actual analyses of the show, it's strengths and
weaknesses, which are helpful, I think, to us and to the viewer. I've *been*
a reviewer, and I'm sorry, but the equivilent of "IT SUCKS" isn't a review.
It's a Beavis line.

Beyond that, deponent sayeth not.

==== ~favorite ~music ~country

???? Favorite kinds of music?

I have very weird, very eccentric and eclectic tastes in music. In

addition to Meatloaf, I'm big on Leon Redbone, Indigo Girls, Enya, I'm
starting to like Digable Planets...classical, jazz, big band, hard rock.
celtic, blues, just about anything *except* country, which I couldn't warm up
to even if I were cremated in a crate of Garth Brooks albums.

==== ~asteroid ~story ~arc

???? What happens to Babylon 5 if...say, you're walking down the street
and a wandering asteroid crash lands on you, three years into the
story arc?

What happens is this:

First they scrape up my remains. Then they put me in the morgue. After a
cursory examination, the death is ruled an act of god, which is the ultimate
insult to an atheist. Then they stick a big needle in one arm, and in my
heel, and embalm what's left of me. Then there's a service. All of my
friends come. What they do with the rest of the rows after one is filled is
anyone's guess. Rent them out, I guess. Next they plant me. I lay there for
a while, gradually coming to the realization that when they stuck me in this
crummy suit, they yanked the pants into my butt and now I have to go through
all eternity with a snuggie. In time I get really annoyed by this, my essence
rises up out of the coffin, AND HAUNTS YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE!
 Or, put another way, if you want to see the end of the story, it's in
your vested interest to keep my ass ALIVE for the next 4.5 years.

Ever read Sheherazade? Think about it.

---
My notes are in a secure place.

==== ~tv ~retire ~spinoff

???? Do you plan on doing any more TV shows after B5?

It's hard, because as much as I enjoy TV, it's basically ephemeral; books
stick around. And I got into this whole gig at the beginning by writing
prose. Which is why, as I've noted before, if the B5 story goes its full
length -- whether that's just 5 years, or with a possible spinoff, 10 years --
when it's over, I'm retiring from TV. By that point, I will have said
everything I want to say for TV. Then it's a house somewhere outside London
or Cambridge, and novels. I figure I'll be about 50 at that point (assuming
10 years), and I'll have enough years left in me to tell some decent stories
before it gets dark outside.

==== ~pet ~cat

???? Do you like pets?

Pets is okay. Ah lahkes pets. Pets be cool. And cats be coolest.

==== ~math ~jms

???? How good are you at math?

Joe does not learn math in one episode. Joe does not learn math in one
*year*. I took bonehead math in college three -- count 'em three -- times.
and only passed the third semester because the class was taught by the same
instructor, and the third time I wandered into his class, he siad, (or said).
"Here...just go, I'll give you a C, just...leave."
---
MATH! MATH! YOU SAID THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY MATH ON THIS TEST! I DIDN'T
STUDY! HOW MUCH OF MY GRADE WILL THIS BE?! AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!

==== ~sleep

???? Are you exhausted from all this work?

I am. I'm exhausted all the time...running on 3-4 hours of sleep a

night, producing during the day, writing all night...but it *is* fun. The
only hard part is that because of my close involvement in this show, and
creating the characters, and assigning the stories, and working with the
actors...I have Londo and G'Kar and Kosh and Garibaldi and all the rest
running around in my head and yelling at each other 24 hours a day, and
sometimes that can make you just a little nuts...you wanna tell them to shut
the hell up for five minutes...and then they look at you with this wounded
expression...you ever see a Narn sulk? It's not a pretty sight.
---
Yeah, easy for YOU to say, KAL...I've got Londo, Garibaldi, G'Kar, Kosh
and half the Psi-Corps running around inside my head and yelling at each other
24 hours a day...YOU try to sleep with all that racket.

I either need to find a better neighborhood, or a worse one, I can't

decide....

"AH, my GOOD, CLOSE FRIEND, GariBALdi --"

That's it! Everybody outta the pool......!

==== ~hat ~paramount ~merchandizing

John Copeland, our producer, shows me something that John Iacovelli came
into the office bearing...a B5 cap. It's a very nice Babylon 5 cap.
Stitching's a little off, though, I notice...not bad, but noticeable. I learn
it's commercially available. Well, still and all, not a bad thing, I decide,
trying to figure out why John's smiling at me in this really weird fashion.
People have been asking for B5 caps, and now they can buy them through, it
seems, Creation Entertainment, as this was bought at a Creation store in
Glendale (Sci-Fi Universe), and it's a Creation produced item, under their
license....

Then the tag hanging from the back of the cap slips out into my hand,
dangling from that little white-plastic-string-thingie they stick through
labels.

And what does the label on that white-plastic-string-thingie say?

OFFICIAL LICENSED PRODUCT, PARAMOUNT TELEVISION.

We never get a break...never...ever...the horror...the horror....

..eeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeee........

=============== Miscellany ===============

==== ~misc ~fan ~fiver

???? What do Babylon 5 fans call themselves? What do you call them?

Most B5 viewers that I've heard from call themselves Fivers, when they
identify themselves as anything other than what they are, people of infinite
taste and sensibility....
---
I think the term usually used to describe B5 viewers is, "People Of
Incredible Taste, Perception and Discretion."

==== ~motto ~kid ~robot ~filk ~song [science-fiction folk-singing]

Re: kids/robots...the exact phrasing of that has gone through various

permutations and paraphrasings; the specific line is "No kids or cute robots."
The latter specifically entails entities such as Twiki (got the spelling right
this time, thanks to whoever corrected me), who should be run down by a truck
at the first opportunity. (In fact, I can say without hesitation that if you
ever DO see what passes for a cute robot on this show, keep a close eye on it.
because you'll probably see somebody drop an anvil on it REAL fast.)

So this allows us to explore the question of robotics, but to do so in a

fairly serious context. Because logically, 200+ years in the future there are
going to be some changes; robotics will be more common, though likely in some
different form. (If you've seen the promos or the pilot, you've seen the
maintenance 'bot that checks out the hull of B5; it has arms, it moves, it's
independent, it's a robot. It just doesn't begin its report with
"Bida-bida-bida.")

On the topic of kids...it's a deliberate decision to steer clear of that

part, not because I think it's invalid, but because a) it's been done on
another show, and its spinoff, rather intensively, and b) it's part of the SF
stereotype, "We have to have kids because SF is a kid's genre."

Might there be a story about a family of refugees who come seeking

sanctuary, or opportunity elsewhere? Of course. But any kids in that family
won't be at the *center* of the story. And they'll be gone by the end of the
episode. It's also a matter of context; absent the scenario just posed, this
is a place for businessmen, travelers, mappers, traders, diplomats and others.
it's not a place for kids. It's also potentially a very DANGEROUS place.
---
Hmm...maybe I should amend it to "No cute kids, no cute robots, and no
filkers, ever...."

Nothing personal, but given the choice between listening to two hours of
filking, and having my eyeballs scooped out, popped, spread on toast as jam
and fed to me for breakfast...I'll take the latter.

==== ~spoo

???? What is spoo?

Spoo is. What else can one say about spoo?

---
Re: your desire to make and eat spoo at home...deponds on whether or not
you ever want to have children later....

==== ~strong ~women

Re: B5's roster of strong women characters...this is something of a

bugaboo/obsession with me. I *love* writing strong women. (For that matter.
I love strong-willed, independent, smart women in real life as well; I love
being outsmarted, love it when someone can go toe-to-toe with me on
something.) Generally, and this isn't entirely intentional, women on shows I
work on tend to get some of the best lines, as is often the case with Ivanova.
It's not a case of being "one of the boys," but being one of the *people*.
There's a subtle difference.

The women I write are often very close to many of the women I've been
involved with over the years. So far, no one's sued....

==== ~pc ~politically ~correct

???? Are you trying to be politically correct?

I take great joy in being politically *incorrect* at every possible

opportunity. I believe in the motto someone at the BBC once voice: "There
are some people we WANT to offend."

==== ~crew ~softball ~five

Now here's comedy...we're fielding a Babylon 5 softball as one of the

showbiz leagues. (Many shows in town have softball teams, and th ey've
organized into something that has grown quite substantially into a Big Deal.)
We're making up jerseys for the team, and on the front there will be the B5
logo, and on the back, for the team player number, there will be 5. That's
all. The only number. Which will make calling the game a WONDERFUL
challenge..."And on shortstop we've got number five...out in center field is
number five...with number five pitching and catching."

Everything about this show is surreal.

BTW...our first game is against the SeaQuest team.

==== ~cricket ~set ~film

You wanna hear really dopey? Of all the things that can bug you --
literally, in this case -- it's always the small ones that get under your
skin. The goofy ones.

Take crickets for instance.

Crickets. Cute little critters, welcoming the twilight, equipped with

top hat and umbrella to usher Pinnochio into his long-sought humanity....
Crickets.

Ah hates crickets.

A cricket family -- at least one that we know of -- moved into a corner

of one of our sets. The medlab, to be precise. Now, when we're moving things
around, building stuff, moving stuff, it's silent, as a cricket will generally
be when made nervous. But make it all nice and quiet -- as you would do for.
say, filming -- and he becomes downright rambunctious. And sure enough, there
is is, deep in the audio background on a few shots. Oh, we can hide the audio
easily enough...but Getting The Cricket has become something of a cause around
here.

We absolutely cannot find him. I stood back there for ten minutes, eyes
closed, trying to triangulate and draw a bead on the little sucker. We've
tried exterminators, smoke, nitrogen, assassins and psychics; we've tried
scaring him and coaxing him, to no avail. He is as invisible as god but with
a MUCH louder voice.

You ever fire up a daily to hear, at the top of the take, the off screen
director saying, as fast as he can, "Okaythecricket'ssilent,ACTION!"

Like I said...not really a problem, just one of those little things that
niggle at you when there's nothing else going on. So we're going to wait him
out.

Anybody know offhand the lifespan of your average cricket...?

==== ~millenium

The turn of the century with B5's conclusion is coincidence.

Mostly.

==== ~o'hare ~communicator

Funny aside...on Friday, my accountant and his 10 year old son came by
the set for a tour. His son was wog-boggled by everything. At one point in
the filming, Michael O'Hare came over and struck up a conversation with the
kid. The kid asked what that thing is on the back of Sinclair's hand. "That's
my communications device," O'Hare said. The kid looked chagrined, glanced
around, whispered to Michael to lean down, and explained -- to save Michael
further embarrassment in future -- that the communicator was on his *chest*.

I would give my soul for a photograph of Michael's face at that moment.

==== ~o'hare ~brother ~f-14 ~starfury

As it happens, btw, Michael O'Hare's brother is a Commander in the

Gunfighters fighter squadron, running weapons, mainly, and flying an F-14. At
some point we'll probably stick him in a B5 cockpit, and stick Michael in an
F-14 cockpit....

==== ~stolen ~g'kar ~mask ~makeup

Incidentally...as long as I'm here...an advisory. We've got about as

much security as anyone can *have* on a stage...but as with TNG and other SF
shows, we've had our share of things suddenly vanishing. We lost a biggie the
other day, swiped by someone. As mentioned, we re-examined G'Kar's
makeup/prosthetic, and did some minor redesigning. Prior to final approval, a
full-size (head and neck) sculpture was done, painstakingly hand-painted.
There's only the one. And someone swiped it, right out of Doug Netter's
office, where it was hanging on the wall. I couldn't even begin to tell you
how much it's worth; just the physical value alone would be considerable, let
alone collector's value.

I'm putting this out here so that, if anyone here should see it at a
convention, or a dealer's room, you should know that it's stolen merchandise.
and should be reported to the police. There's no chance of mistaking this for
something else, since there's literally only the one in existence.

==== ~theological ~crew ~soul

???? What's this about a crew member leaving for "theological" problems
with "Soul Hunter"?

One person at a post production house we've used has indicated that he
has "theological problems" with working on that episode; not because it's
*against* what he believes -- he's worked on horror movies and stuff with
devils and the like -- but because it takes a point of view he doesn't much
like...in that he has to sit and defend the whole *context* of his
ideas...meaning, it's making him think. He can just poo-poo the stuff against
what he believes, support what he does believe in...but he isn't quite sure
where this show comes down, or where it makes *him* come down. I've had any
number of problems with people on a show before, but this is the first time
I've run into a theological problem.

==== ~nonsense ~correct ~destruct

If what you think I said is correct, then what you think I said is what I
said. If what I might have said was not correct, then what I might have said
is not what I said, incorrectly.

This message will self-destruct as soon as anyone manages to parse the

grammar....

==== ~inside ~joke

???? Will there be in-jokes?

 There are a lot of little in-jokes...but I'd rather let you see them than
ruin the surprise.
---
We sneak in GEnie coordinates from time to time....
---
By the way...just for funsies I slipped a reference into one of our
scripts to a location being at grid coordinates 471-18-25.

==== ~fun ~skirt ~pajama ~londo ~walrus ~pants

Today was "Men In Skirts Day" for many in the Babylon 5 crew.

There are some things man was not meant to know....

---
Re: the crew...today was Pajama Day. Don't ask.
---
Our head of post production, associate producer George Johnsen, pulled a
number on me today that just struck me as hilarious, and I pass it on to you.
(We do a lot of silly stuff behind the scenes.)

Take your hands. Fold in the thumb until it's pointing in toward the
palm of your hand, but not entirely. Fan out your other four fingers on each
hand as far as you can. Now put the two hands together so that the index
fingers touch, and the pinkies are on either side of one another (i.e., you've
formed a crown or fan). Raise your hands so that your wrists are settling on
either side of the top of your head.

Now look at the person sitting next to you and say, "Live, Londo, and
Prosper." This is the unofficial B5 crew greeting. Apparently some have been
doing it when they arrive for work in the morning.

We're a sick bunch, but we're fun.

---
Funny...I sometimes make up little clips from shows and put them to music
for myself or for convention appearances...and I was giving some serious
thought to assembling a montage and using "I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles as
the music...and then realized that it would probably give away too much if I
composed the pictures correctly with the lyrics.

I am the walrus...coo-coo ka choo....

---
During the con appearance, Jerry told a story that *I* hadn't heard
before. There's a scene in the script "Midnight on the Firing Line" in which
Talia (Andrea) goes into a transport tube, finds Garibaldi, and asks some
questions about Ivanova. They rehearsed it several times, this being Andrea's
first time on the set, and filmed one take. She comes down the hall, comes to
thepen...and Garibaldi's pants are down around his ankles. Needless to say.
that shot did NOT end up in dailies....

==== ~fart

How You Know You're Finally Going Bananas, by JMS.

So there I was, lying abed, at 3 a.m., unable to sleep, and I come up

with the Fart Classification System (FCS). Basically, they break down into
three categories: small farts are squibs, medium farts are crackers, and
really huge farts are zeppelins.

I desperately need to get a life....

==== ~flu ~nyquil

Cooney: I wasn't offended...very little offends me...EXCEPT THIS DAMNED

FLU THAT REFUSES TO GO AWAY, AND EVERY NIGHT IT'S FEVER TIME, AND I'M GOING
OUT OF MY MIND, YOU HEAR? I'M GOING MAD! I'M SPENDING MY DAYS AND NIGHTS
TRYING TO WRITE IN TWO STATES OF MIND: DELUSIONAL OR CONFUSED (which on the up
side is one more state of mind than is normal for me) AND I'M TIRED OF IT, YOU
HEAR? TIRED OF IT!
---
....courtesy of NyQuil.

The colors, man, check out the *colllllllllllllooooorrrrrsssss*****...

("May induce drowsiness" my ass...you're lucky if you make it across the

room with this stuff....)

==== ~more

???? Do you have anything more to say?

Don't know really how much more there is to say; it's getting to that
time when all the worthwhile talking will be done by the series itself.

=============== INDEX OF KEYWORDS ===============

22 2257 2258 24 30
abandon abbai action activity actor
ad-lib administration administrator admiral adr
adult age air alcohol alien
alliance ambassador answer arc assassin
asteroid atheist atmosphere audience autocad
autonomy b-story babylon badge bald
bay being believers beyond biggs
bigotry bill black&white blast blooper
blurry bone book books break
broadcast bronze brother bruice budget
cameo camera canon capacity caroline
cast caste casting cat catherine
cd-rom centauri cgi change chapter
character christian christmas chronology chrysalis
civilian clan cliffhanger cloaking clothes
club colony color comics comment
communicate communicator composer composition compton
computer con constellation convention correct
cost council country credit crew
cricket crime crisp critic croatia
culture cut cycle dailies daily
date day dead deal deathwalker
defense delay delenn demo demon
destruct detail dialog dilgar director
distance ditillio diversity dock door
drazi drennan drug dubbing ea
earth earthdome earthquake economy edit
effect ellison emerge empire end
english enter episode establish ethnic
executive extend f-14 fan fantasy
fart favorite female fighter file
filk film final finale first
fishhead five fiver flaming flashback
flu fly footage formality found
four frames franchise franke franklin
fun fund furlan future g'kar
game garden garibaldi gay genie
gerrold gloves government grail gravity
grey grid guest gun hair
hat hate hdtv head hernandez
history holiday hollywood holographic homeless
household human humanoid hyperspace idea
identify illuminated image impact inside
international internet io iran iraq
italian ivanova jewelry jms joke
julia jump-gate jump-point jurasik kid
kill kosh kyle language laser
laserdisc launch laurel law layout
league leave legal lennier letterbox
library licensing lie life light
line lingerie link location londo
looping lunatic lurker lyta makeup
manual mars mask math matter
mature maya means medicine merchandizing
message metaphor military millenium mime
minbari minor minority misc miss
money month moon more morn
motto move movie mumy music
myth n'grath na'toth name narn
narration nation native navy necessary
nepotism netter new-year newsgroup nickson
nitpick non-aligned nonsense norm nudity
number nyquil o'hare offend old
ombuds one online opening orbit
order orion ornamentation overunit own
oyster pajama pak'ma'ra pants paper
paramount partner past patch pay
pc peace pet philosophy pilot
pitch planet platform politically politics
position power powerful ppg prayer
preference press pressurized prisoner problem
producer product production program promo
prosthetic psi pten publicity quality
raider rank rating ratio realistic
reception record recreation recycle red
reel relationship release religion religious
render resolution retire robot role
rome rotate rpg running russian
sakai satellite satisfied scan schedule
sci-fi script seaquest season second
security senate series set sets
sex sf shadow share sheridan
ship shoe shooting shot show
signs sinclair size skirt sky
sleep softball song soul sound
soundtrack space speculation spelling spinoff
spirituality spoo sport spousal squadron
squared star starfury start state
station status stock stolen story
straczynski strong studio subtitle success
sunhawk surgery surround survivors talia
teaser technical technology telepath television
tense texture theological third thornton
thread three time title tot
tractor trailer translation transmitter transporter
travel trek triangle truth tv
twin-peaks two un uniform universe
variation variety video viewer violent
vision voice vorlon walla walrus
war warner weapon what who
why widescreen wife wilderness wing
witch women word work world
writing x-wing year zero zocalo

------------------------- Also Sprach Straczynski. --------------------------