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ATTN JMS: Question regarding a 6th season

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Brent Schmidt

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Sep 29, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/29/97
to

I know I'm a bit ahead of the game here, but I just read some comments
from you at a convention on the Spoiler Junkies site, and I had an
idea/question for you. You said that TNT had made comments about maybe
wanting a 6th season, which of course is a Bad Thing, since B5 is a 5
year story. This of course put you in a bad situation, you said you
have fought for years to get it on the air, it would be difficult to
turn it down. Now the question:

Would it be possible to do a sixth year that resides outside the 5
year arc? Similar to "0" issues in some comics, or the "Tales of the
Jedi" comics. Perhaps doing mini arcs that would focus on stories or
characters that haven't been really developed through the show, like the
Zathras/Valen arc, or the story of G'Quon. I guess it would kind of be
an anthology season, if that makes any sense, similar to arcs explored
in the novels and comics.

Personally, I think that would be really interesting, and would
pioneer some more new ideas in television story telling.
--
--------------------------------------------------
Docking Bay 13 - http://www.mcs.net/~tvsbrent/
Brent Schmidt TVsB...@MCS.COM
--------------------------------------------------

J.M.Egolf

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Sep 29, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/29/97
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In article <342F0195...@mcs.com>,

Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> wrote:
>I know I'm a bit ahead of the game here, but I just read some comments
>from you at a convention on the Spoiler Junkies site, and I had an
>idea/question for you. You said that TNT had made comments about maybe
>wanting a 6th season, which of course is a Bad Thing, since B5 is a 5
>year story. This of course put you in a bad situation, you said you
>have fought for years to get it on the air, it would be difficult to
>turn it down.


(Brent's suggestion of doing side stories outside the 5-year arc snipped)

It's a good idea, *IF* we don't get _Crusade_.

Otherwise, to quote a comment JMS seems to be making more and more often
these days:

"You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?"


My own thought on the subject paraphrases a comment JMS is reported to
have made at DefCon (I'm assuming it's this con report on the Spoilers
Page Brent is referring to -- JMS says he got the show on the air, he can
get if off)

We ran a letter-writing campaign to keep the show *on* the air...

<GRIN>
--
J.M. ("Jamie") Egolf jeg...@mcs.com
Babylon 5: Here, work *begins* at the place
where the average say, "Ah, that's good enough"


Brent Schmidt

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Sep 29, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/29/97
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J.M.Egolf wrote:
>
> In article <342F0195...@mcs.com>,
> Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> wrote:
> >I know I'm a bit ahead of the game here, but I just read some
> comments
> >from you at a convention on the Spoiler Junkies site, and I had an
> >idea/question for you. You said that TNT had made comments about
> maybe
> >wanting a 6th season, which of course is a Bad Thing, since B5 is a 5
> >year story. This of course put you in a bad situation, you said you
> >have fought for years to get it on the air, it would be difficult to
> >turn it down.
>
> (Brent's suggestion of doing side stories outside the 5-year arc
> snipped)
>
> It's a good idea, *IF* we don't get _Crusade_.
>
> Otherwise, to quote a comment JMS seems to be making more and more
> often
> these days:
>
> "You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?"

J.M.Egolf wrote:
>
> (Brent's suggestion of doing side stories outside the 5-year arc
> snipped)
>
> It's a good idea, *IF* we don't get _Crusade_.
>
> Otherwise, to quote a comment JMS seems to be making more and more
> often these days:
>
> "You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?"

[snip]

Well, I suppose, but if he's got somebody who wants to make some B5
episodes, why not take advantage of it? Don't screw with the story arc,
but when that is done, why not take some risks and go crazy with some
new ideas. It doesn't matter (much) if it gets canceled, he's told his
story and can move on.
Plus, if memory serves, wasn't he ready to run two concurrent series
if _Crusader_ got picked up in the 5 season time span? I thought I
remember him talking about it.
All in all, I don't know if it's possible, but I think it would be
wicked cool.

Jms at B5

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Sep 29, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/29/97
to

I didn't say it would be difficult to turn down doing a 6th season, but
that the situation would *be* difficult. Obviously, their first choice
would be to have me do it...but just as obviously I don't want to do a
sixth season, 'cause the story ends in 5, and even TNT has been actively
promoting S5 as the last season of B5. Now, in theory, WB could do B5
without me, since they own the copyright, and that would be the last bullet
in their gun if I got real difficult about it.

The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth
season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and purposes,
using our characters almost like a repertory group.

But we'll see...it's still a long way off, and as Ted Kennedy once said,
we'll drive off that bridge when we come to it.


jms

Joshua Jasper

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Sep 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/30/97
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In article <19970930005...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,

Jms at B5 <jms...@aol.com> wrote:
>I didn't say it would be difficult to turn down doing a 6th season, but
>that the situation would *be* difficult. Obviously, their first choice
>would be to have me do it...but just as obviously I don't want to do a
>sixth season, 'cause the story ends in 5, and even TNT has been actively
>promoting S5 as the last season of B5. Now, in theory, WB could do B5
>without me, since they own the copyright, and that would be the last bullet
>in their gun if I got real difficult about it.

There's an old story from Jack Chalker about how he wrote the
second set of Well World books that comes to mind here. Basicaly he
named a figure that he thought was "...so impossibly high compared to
what the even best in the field were getting payed at the time... /and/
if I had an idea I thought would not cheapen the books..." Then he'd
write the stories.
Sinboy

Scott Johnson

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Sep 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/30/97
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Jms at B5 (jms...@aol.com) wrote:
: The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth

: season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and purposes,
: using our characters almost like a repertory group.

Oooh! Oooh! Now there's something I'd like to see!

--
Scott Johnson sco...@eecs.umich.edu
Dept. of EECS, Univ. of Michigan http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~scottdj
and Merit Nework, Inc. (313) 647-6977


Brent Schmidt

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Sep 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/30/97
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Joel Mathis wrote:
>
> >Oooh! Oooh! Now there's something I'd like to see!
>
> But not as a sixth season!
>
> Of course, this does give me an interesting idea. Since WB is more
> interested in Crusade than TNT is at the moment, what if WB got
> Crusade with JMS putting his effort behind that show with the writing,
> and TNT got the anthology Tales from Babylon 5 by a variety of
> different writers, all writing three to five episode arcs with
> different characters. JMS would be more of a Harlan Elison for that
> show just keeping everyone in line and making sure the stories don't
> step on anyone's toes. That would be one hell of a line up.
>
> Joel Mathis

I like that idea! Similar to assigning a three book deal to a
particular author.
But what's wrong with a sixth season? As long as it doesn't screw
with the 5 year arc, I have no problems with it. Heck, the titles and
actors (since, if I remember, they were only signed to 5 year deals)
could be so different, people wouldn't even know it's a 6th season, it
would be more of a spin-off than a continuation of the main story.

Joel Mathis

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Sep 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/30/97
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On 30 Sep 1997 11:59:38 -0400, sco...@eecs.umich.edu (Scott Johnson)
wrote:

>Jms at B5 (jms...@aol.com) wrote:
>: The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth
>: season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and purposes,
>: using our characters almost like a repertory group.
>

Brent Schmidt

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Sep 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/30/97
to

Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth
> season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and
> purposes, using our characters almost like a repertory group.

Wow! For once something that popped into my little brain is actually
plausible. This is a red letter day! I think it would be great, you
could go even more crazy with the characters and stories than before,
really slam those guys (and us) around.
I wanna see Valen, G'Quon, and the previous Shadow War! More Babylon
4! More Vorlons! Even more depth to everything!
Heh, heh, go TNT!

(My goodness, I don't think I've ever used that many exclamation
points in a message before.)

Duane L Swab

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Oct 1, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/1/97
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Brent Schmidt wrote:
<snipped alot of stuff!>

> Well, I suppose, but if he's got somebody who wants to make some B5
> episodes, why not take advantage of it? Don't screw with the story arc,
> but when that is done, why not take some risks and go crazy with some
> new ideas. It doesn't matter (much) if it gets canceled, he's told his
> story and can move on.
> Plus, if memory serves, wasn't he ready to run two concurrent series
> if _Crusader_ got picked up in the 5 season time span? I thought I
> remember him talking about it.
> All in all, I don't know if it's possible, but I think it would be
> wicked cool.

I'm wondering now if that is how Star Trek: Voyager got started . . .


Joel Mathis

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Oct 1, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/1/97
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On 30 Sep 1997 18:45:35 -0400, Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> wrote:

> I like that idea! Similar to assigning a three book deal to a
>particular author.
> But what's wrong with a sixth season? As long as it doesn't screw
>with the 5 year arc, I have no problems with it. Heck, the titles and
>actors (since, if I remember, they were only signed to 5 year deals)
>could be so different, people wouldn't even know it's a 6th season, it
>would be more of a spin-off than a continuation of the main story.

My problem with the 6th season is that B5 was concieved as 5 seasons.
Making it run longer feels like it would not be true to the original
spirit of the idea. Of course dropping the cast, changing the title,
and having a completely different premise wouldn't make it a sixth
season, it would be the first season of a new show!


Peter D Banos

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Oct 1, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/1/97
to

On 30 Sep 1997, Brent Schmidt wrote:

> I wanna see Valen, G'Quon, and the previous Shadow War!

I would _love_ to see if there turns out to be any truth to this rather
off-the-wall speculation I can't quite shake... IIRC, we've been told that
Sinclair/Valen
lives out the rest of his life in the past; but that the Minbari don't
speak of Valen as having died. I am not aware of any reason to think
triluminaries/chrysales work only between Minbari and Humans. So...
could Valen have _become_ G'Quon?

In any case, I want a copy of the Book of G'Quon; it's the one thing the
NBS won't thump...

-Peter D. Banos
pd...@columbia.edu


Matt Maurano

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Oct 1, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/1/97
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What? Star Trek Voyager: The Teaser got stretched out into Star Trek
Voyager: Vegetablizer of the Unsuspecting TV Watcher?

Don't stretch out B5, jms. Its great the way you have it. The arc is
great, and can not be tampered with like such.

On 1 Oct 1997 06:46:07 -0400, Duane L Swab <dar...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:

Chris Andersen

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97
to

Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> wrote:

> But what's wrong with a sixth season? As long as it doesn't screw
>with the 5 year arc, I have no problems with it. Heck, the titles and
>actors (since, if I remember, they were only signed to 5 year deals)
>could be so different, people wouldn't even know it's a 6th season, it
>would be more of a spin-off than a continuation of the main story.

My problem with a sixth season is that it would seem to violate one of
the main promises of this series: that it would have a definite end.
Extending it into additional seasons would just drag it out.

Crusade, on the other hand, doesn't violate this principle because it
is only set in the same Universe. It doesn't necessarily attempt to
continue the same story.

Mike Benedetto

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97
to

In article <34317FCC...@MCS.COM>, Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> wrote:

> Jms at B5 wrote:
> >
> > The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth
> > season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and
> > purposes, using our characters almost like a repertory group.
>
> Wow! For once something that popped into my little brain is actually
> plausible. This is a red letter day! I think it would be great, you
> could go even more crazy with the characters and stories than before,
> really slam those guys (and us) around.
> I wanna see Valen, G'Quon, and the previous Shadow War! More Babylon
> 4! More Vorlons! Even more depth to everything!
> Heh, heh, go TNT!

Provided the sanctity of the main 5-year arc would be protected with a
series title/format change (this is a *big* provision; if they didn't do
this I'd avoid the show as I would a relative who'd been in prison), I
also would be delighted to watch a 6th season.

But... While I'd like an anthology series (of sorts), I have another idea.
What if a sixth season were to be a year-long arc taking place in 2259,
dramatizing Sinclair's life on Minbar as depicted in the comic and "To
Dream in the City of Sorrows"? The story really ought to be done for TV or
film, as the energy of the show (despite some very fine work by Kathryn
Drennan) has never translated completely successfully to print, and it's a
beautiful and wholly believable story. There's far too much plot to get
through in a single movie -- but with a series devoted to this plot
thread, there would be ample opportunity to get into the fine points of
Ranger training and amply explore Sinclair and Sakai's relationship (which
Joe never had a chance to resolve in Season 2).

I'm getting excited now, in spite of myself. I've always wished that more
could have been done with Michael O'Hare and Julia Nickson, and I'd love
to see more of Jason Carter and John Vickery. And there would be plenty of
room for cameos by the regular cast (Mira Furlan in particular) as the
major events of Season 2 are shown from a different angle. AND, since it's
also about the Rangers, there would be even more room for crossovers with
the Crusade cast.

Naturally, it's _completely_ impossible, as it would hinge entirely on the
availability of lots of actors who are no longer, will no longer be, or
never were under option (not to mention the fact that the series _will_
probably be cancelled after Season 5). But this is a really fun way to
spend a night when I should be working on my thesis!

-Mike

--
Evil comes in many forms, be it a man-eating cow or Joseph Stalin.
-THE TICK


Kay Shapero

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97
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On <Sep 29 18:51>, Jms at B5 (1:102/125.99) wrote to All:

Ja>The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5"
Ja>sixth season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and
Ja>purposes, using our characters almost like a repertory group.

If you choose that path, please be very careful. The pair of graphic
novels serialized as essues 1-40 of Wendy & Richard Pini'a Elfquest, remain
my favorite example of the genre, and were a joy to read as they came out
and wonder how the story would go next (kinda like watching Babylon 5).
Then, when the story was over, the author decided to continue, first in a
"tales of" format and later with continuation from the end of the original
story. The result was disastrous. The original story arc had been
completed, drawn and scripted by Wendy following a central idea all her
own, complete with elaborate threads and sub threads. Sometimes in the
second, darker, story the plot seemed to have come adrift, but by the end
when I was able to reread the lot all at once it was clear that the vision
had been there all the time; I'd just been too dim to see it. (This remind
you of anything? :->) The story was over; all told, and told well. With
the switch to short stories written and scripted by other people, with
minimal interconnectedness and no central arc at all, it fell flat. Not
that these other stories were bad either - it was just that they suffered
by comparison with the compelling nature of the original. It was my
favorite: the comic I looked forward to over the months between issues.
Now I think I've maybe read three issues of the EQ family of comics in the
last three years.

Oh, a "tales of" series might well work - but you'd have to give it every
bit as much of your life as you're giving the current one. I'd consider
very carefully were it me - after this is done you may well feel the desire
to go on to something new instead.

Chris Andersen

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97
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Peter D Banos <pd...@columbia.edu> wrote:

>On 30 Sep 1997, Brent Schmidt wrote:
>

>> I wanna see Valen, G'Quon, and the previous Shadow War!
>

>I would _love_ to see if there turns out to be any truth to this rather
>off-the-wall speculation I can't quite shake... IIRC, we've been told that
>Sinclair/Valen
>lives out the rest of his life in the past; but that the Minbari don't
>speak of Valen as having died. I am not aware of any reason to think
>triluminaries/chrysales work only between Minbari and Humans. So...
>could Valen have _become_ G'Quon?

G'Quon was a contemporary of Valen. He forced the Shadows off Narn
during the last shadow war.

I get the impression that Narn was pretty much a backwater planet at
the time. The Minbari might not have even been aware of it let along
had any dealings with them.

I have my own theory about the fate of Valen, but I won't post it
here. I suspect my theory will be either confirmed or disproven once
the new comic book comes out in England (the first arc of stories
deals with what happened to B4 after the last Shadow War and the place
of Valen in Minbari society).

ArcherBlue

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97
to

>But we'll see...it's still a long way off, and as Ted Kennedy once said,
>we'll drive off that bridge when we come to it.

Ouch....

pAUL mCeLLIGOTT
arche...@aol.com
><DARWIN>
L L
I'm an Atheist with a Messiah Complex. Talk about insecurity....


ArcherBlue

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97
to

>I didn't say it would be difficult to turn down doing a 6th season, but
>that the situation would *be* difficult.

Can't you just say, "Okey doke. I'll give you as many seasons as you want, and
then just hand them 'Crusade' instead..?

Peter D Banos

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Oct 3, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/3/97
to

On 2 Oct 1997, Chris Andersen wrote:

> G'Quon was a contemporary of Valen. He forced the Shadows off Narn
> during the last shadow war.

Yes, but do we know he was an _exact_ contemporary? All dates referring to
past Shadow wars seem to come out rounded to the nearest power of 10;
is it not possible that G'Quon was just a _bit_ later? (Or even a bit
_earlier_?)

> I get the impression that Narn was pretty much a backwater planet at
> the time. The Minbari might not have even been aware of it let along
> had any dealings with them.

But of course Sinclair/Valen would have known them quite well!

Peter D. Banos
pd...@columbia.edu

pyotr filipivich

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Oct 3, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/3/97
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Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> writes:

>Jms at B5 wrote:
>>
>> The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth


>> season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and

>> purposes, using our characters almost like a repertory group.

> Wow! For once something that popped into my little brain is actually


>plausible. This is a red letter day! I think it would be great, you
>could go even more crazy with the characters and stories than before,
>really slam those guys (and us) around.
> I wanna see Valen, G'Quon, and the previous Shadow War! More Babylon
>4! More Vorlons! Even more depth to everything!

And more Zathrus home movies - with all the brothers!

And the entire Zathrus family! Pa Zathrus, Ma Zathrus, and the
all the little Zathrus.

Oh no, I'm having flashbacks .. the Farkel Family from Laugh-in...

"I'm Simon"
"I'm Gar"
"We're Farkels"


"HI!"
"I think they all are."


Let's not go there. Please, for the sake of Children Unborn, and races
unknown, stop this inhumanity before it starts ...


tschus
pyotr

(I think I'll go lie down now.)

--
pyotr filipivich, sometimes owl, Nikolai Petrovich in the SCA.
"Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes."
(If you can read this, you're overeducated.)

Ima B5 Fan

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Oct 4, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/4/97
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>Don't stretch out B5, jms. Its great the way you have it. The arc is
>great, and can not be tampered with like such.
>
>

you guys don't seem to realize that it is JMS who has created and written the
B5 Universe, the 'Arc', and everything within.. He can easily expand the
detail of what happens over the next 22 episodes, as well as weave
mini-threads in and out of the story, to stretch it out longer. After all, he
was prepared to shorten it to 4 years only a few months ago, if that became
necessary..

It is HIS story and he has proven over the last 4 years that he has the
ability to do almost anything with it. If he decided to stretch it out longer,
there'd be the naysayers in the beginning, and those same naysayers would be
sitting on the edge of their seats thru every episode of the extended series..

Either way, with the growing popularity of B5, I'm convinced we'll get more B5
in the future, one way or another (movies, crusade, 6th B5 season, etc)....



Mike Benedetto

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Oct 4, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/4/97
to

In article <19971003004...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,

imab...@aol.com (Ima B5 Fan) wrote:

> >Don't stretch out B5, jms. Its great the way you have it. The arc is
> >great, and can not be tampered with like such.
> >
> >
>
> you guys don't seem to realize that it is JMS who has created and written the
> B5 Universe, the 'Arc', and everything within.. He can easily expand the
> detail of what happens over the next 22 episodes, as well as weave
> mini-threads in and out of the story, to stretch it out longer. After all, he
> was prepared to shorten it to 4 years only a few months ago, if that became
> necessary..

Joe could certainly make the final threads take longer to play out. But
there are limits to the patience of the audience. This is the end of the
story, when loose ends should be tied up left and right -- would you
really take us back into limbo?

I don't want to fall into the trap of saying that the arc is limited in
quantity and can be used up, but that's true in some ways. The threads
we've been watching for the past four years were designed to play off one
another in very specific ways, and I don't see how *at this point* the
story could be extended for another season without going back and
restructuring to make optimal use of this added length, which in this
format is impossible.

It might have been shortened to four years, true, but that would have only
resolved current threads -- we would be lacking answers to some important
questions, and the arc would have had to do without certain plot twists
that it was designed to have.

> It is HIS story and he has proven over the last 4 years that he has the
> ability to do almost anything with it. If he decided to stretch it out
longer,
> there'd be the naysayers in the beginning, and those same naysayers would be
> sitting on the edge of their seats thru every episode of the extended
series..

Please understand that if it were renewed, and it were impossible to do
something like "Tales from B5" (which would be more like a separate show
than a continuation of this one), it would *cease* to be Joe's story. He
could do a partial salvage job and make it more watchable than Brand X
Hack, I suppose -- but if B5 ever were to become just *threads*, with no
rhyme or reason to them, what would be the point of watching? It would be
no better than a soap opera where the writers make every storyline up as
they go along, with no more than a vague idea of where they're going and
no commitment to reaching that destination. I'm watching because I expect
it to come to a genuine conclusion that neatly and appropriately wraps up
*everything* that's come before -- something I've never seen on television
before.

> Either way, with the growing popularity of B5, I'm convinced we'll get more B5
> in the future, one way or another (movies, crusade, 6th B5 season, etc)....

We'll get more stuff set in the B5 universe, certainly. This is to be
celebrated -- it means, provided that JMS is still at the wheel,
intelligent drama on television and in film for years to come, all of it
consistent with the plot of the original show but far enough outside it
that it doesn't interfere.

But I think you need to reevaluate why B5 is such a good show. Its nature
as a 5-year serial gives the storylines a feeling of real progression, not
just repetition. To stretch it out at the very end for purely economic
reasons would take all that away. Think about it.

Mena Ryan

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Oct 4, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/4/97
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Mike Benedetto wrote:

> In article <19971003004...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
> imab...@aol.com (Ima B5 Fan) wrote:
>
> > >Don't stretch out B5, jms. Its great the way you have it. The arc is
> > >great, and can not be tampered with like such.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > you guys don't seem to realize that it is JMS who has created and written the
> > B5 Universe, the 'Arc', and everything within.. He can easily expand the
> > detail of what happens over the next 22 episodes, as well as weave
> > mini-threads in and out of the story, to stretch it out longer. After all, he
> > was prepared to shorten it to 4 years only a few months ago, if that became
> > necessary..
>
> Joe could certainly make the final threads take longer to play out. But
> there are limits to the patience of the audience. This is the end of the
> story, when loose ends should be tied up left and right -- would you
> really take us back into limbo?

Just to add a case and point, this is why I can't watch the X-Files. That whole scenario with the kidnapped sister
should have ended a *long* time ago. Does anybody else concur?

> <Snip>

> -Mike
>
> --
> Evil comes in many forms, be it a man-eating cow or Joseph Stalin.
> -THE TICK

Mena

Kevin Muñoz

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Oct 5, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/5/97
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In article <19970930005...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,

jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) wrote:

>The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth
>season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and purposes,
>using our characters almost like a repertory group.

That sounds like a nice way of saying "using our characters like they
use their characters in Star Trek." Certainly it would be better than
the kinds of stories they are allowed to come up with on the other side
of the fence, but it wouldn't be the B5 we know.

Not that that's necessarily bad, but I think a lot of fans would find
the change unattractive. Then again, most viewers probably wouldn't
notice the change as much as we might.

--
To get random signatures put text files into a folder called ³Random Signatures² into your Preferences folder.

norak

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Oct 5, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/5/97
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On 3 Oct 1997, pyotr filipivich wrote:

!Brent Schmidt <TVsB...@MCS.COM> writes:
!
!>Jms at B5 wrote:
!>>
!>> The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth
!>> season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and
!>> purposes, using our characters almost like a repertory group.
!
!> I wanna see Valen, G'Quon, and the previous Shadow War! More Babylon
!>4! More Vorlons! Even more depth to everything!
!
! And more Zathrus home movies - with all the brothers!
!
! And the entire Zathrus family! Pa Zathrus, Ma Zathrus, and the
!all the little Zathrus.

Don't forget the sisters!

--Sister Zathra norak

Rick Gridley

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Oct 5, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/5/97
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Mena Ryan <muf...@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu> wrote:


>
>Just to add a case and point, this is why I can't watch the X-Files. That whole scenario with the kidnapped sister
>should have ended a *long* time ago. Does anybody else concur?
>


I do. I am getting tired of The XFiles in that there seems to be no
closure what-so-ever after 4 years. Its getting tedious.


Dan Siemens

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Oct 6, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/6/97
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Brent Schmidt (TVsB...@MCS.COM) wrote:
: Well, I suppose, but if he's got somebody who wants to make some B5

: episodes, why not take advantage of it? Don't screw with the story arc,
: but when that is done, why not take some risks and go crazy with some
: new ideas. It doesn't matter (much) if it gets canceled, he's told his
: story and can move on.

SURE it matters! I don't want to see such a finely crafted work of
perfection degenerate into a shambles that deserves to be cancelled!
That would inevitably tarnish the whole thing. As any artist would tell
you, when the masterpiece is complete, you stop applying more paint.

I'd rather see B5 end than see it wander on aimlessly and perhaps flounder.

Dan


Melissa D. Binde

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Oct 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/8/97
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In article <kevin-05109...@norcal56k100.netwiz.net>,
ke...@tesarta.com (Kevin Muñoz) wrote:

>In article <19970930005...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
>jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) wrote:
>

>>The only other option would be to do a "Tales from Babylon 5" sixth

>>season, which would be an anthology series, to all intents and purposes,


>>using our characters almost like a repertory group.
>

>That sounds like a nice way of saying "using our characters like they
>use their characters in Star Trek." Certainly it would be better than
>the kinds of stories they are allowed to come up with on the other side
>of the fence, but it wouldn't be the B5 we know.
>
>Not that that's necessarily bad, but I think a lot of fans would find
>the change unattractive. Then again, most viewers probably wouldn't
>notice the change as much as we might.

Agreed. One of the strong points of B5, IMO, is that we get a story that
plays more like a novel than like a TV series. Most shows present their
conflicts (A plot), have a secondary thread (B plot), and then wrap it all
up at the end with no real changes ever happening to the characters, the
universe, or their situations.

That's not _life_. That's not literature. That's not "real".

B5 (and this is what drew me to the show), due to its planned arc, was
able to transcend that weekly seriel effect, to step out of the
pre-designed mold for TV shows, and give us plot twists, flashbacks,
flashforwards, slowly-resolving issues, and surprise revelations that few,
if any, TV shows have been able to match.

I do not think I would be happy with a B5 that didn't have a definite,
pre-determined ending.


-M., who used to be a Star Trek fan, but has been caught up by B5 for 4 years
--
Melissa Binde -- m...@sccs.swarthmore.edu
Outside the Asylum -- http://www.terindell.com/
Babylon 5 Weekly Column -- http://babylon5.miningco.com

Larry Caldwell

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Oct 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/9/97
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In article <binde-08109...@news.swarthmore.edu>,

bi...@cs.swarthmore.edu (Melissa D. Binde) wrote:

> I do not think I would be happy with a B5 that didn't have a definite,
> pre-determined ending.

I'm more ambivalent. Some of the old anthology shows were outstanding, and
if JMS maintains creative control, I think we could see some great stories.
I'm not sure Joe would get stuck in the one ep/one hour lockstep even if a
series 6 became real. I can see room for 2-part to 4-part story lines that
are more like a short story. You can tell some great stories in short
fiction.

-- Larry

Mike Benedetto

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Oct 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/10/97
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In article <ncUP00O5...@teleport.com>, lar...@teleport.com (Larry
Caldwell) wrote:

If he had free rein over the B5 universe, it might be marvelous. But I
expect he'd have to use the same cast for a season, which would rule out
stories taking place entirely in different time periods or places we
haven't seen before. The result would probably be fine drama, but I doubt
it could rise too far above the level of ST.

I'd like to see this go... *if* they can use an all-guest cast, and *if*
they can change the title to avoid screwing with the main attraction. This
would ideally be a nice little bonus, *not* something to be equated with
the 5 years preceding it.

My other hope would be a briefer, season-long arc telling another
side-story, preferably the Sinclair story from the comics and novel #9.
Much as it makes me drool, I really don't see it happening.

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