Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
The Strange, Secret Evolution of Babylon 5
61 views
Skip to first unread message
Ubiquitous
Mar 30, 2013, 10:32:56 AM3/30/13
to
Jason Shankel
February 22, 2013, marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Babylon
5: The Gathering, the pilot film for what would eventually become the
Babylon 5 television series. The show arguably changed the way narrative
television works, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also
changed the rules for TV creators by actively engaging his fanbase
online during the show's production.
Straczynski's online discussions reveal how drastically Babylon 5
changed from its initial pilot to its actual premiere a year later.
Archived and broken down by thread at JMSNews.com and by episode at The
Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, these discussions offer a rare and
fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day evolution of an innovative
television series. Indeed, Straczynski's diary of Babylon 5's inception
is almost as triumphant, tragic, hope-filled and heartbreaking as the
show itself.
And So, It Begins
"For the fans: no cute robots, no kids." (JMSNews 12/4/1991)
Frustrated with the stagnation of science fiction television,
Straczynski had set the following criteria for his show:
1) It would have to be good science fiction
2) It would have to be good television (rarely are scifi shows both)
3) It would have to take an adult approach to scifi and attempt to do
for scifi television what Hill Street Blues did for cop shows
4) It would have to be affordable
5) It would have to look unlike anything ever seen before on TV
6) It would present not just individual stories but present those
stories against a much broader canvas
(JMSNews 11/20/91)
While science fiction literature had long ago matured into a genre fit
for adults, science fiction television had stalled in a state of
suspended adolescence, dominated by cleanly defined heroes and villains,
simplistic plots and storytelling that wrapped everything up neatly at
the end of each episode.
Years earlier, television police dramas had found themselves in a
similar predicament. Speaking of the evolution of police dramas and
their relation to Babylon 5, Straczynski wrote: "[Hill Street Blues] was
about the redefinition of heroes; the hero as bureaucrat (Furillo), the
hero as ordinary man (Hill and Renko), the hero as psycho (Belker), the
hero as sleazebag (Buntz), and that genuinely struck me as the core of
that show... that heroes aren't always what we think they're supposed to
be, and that there is that spark that can be found in the unlikeliest of
places." � (JMSNews 9/28/1992)
More than anything else, the idea that heroes are found in the most
unlikely places is what distinguished Babylon 5 from its forebears. But
who were these unlikely heroes? And how did their story evolve in the
early development of the show?
The Trapdoors
"A destination may be fixed on the horizon... but sometimes the most fun
you have is getting lost from time to time on the way there." (JMSNews
1/16/1995)
Babylon 5 was to be a "novel for television" (JMSNews 1/13/1993) with a
defined beginning, middle and end to be played out over multiple
seasons.
"The trouble, of course," wrote Straczynski, "is that unlike writing a
novel, where characters exist only on a sheet of paper, actors... can
get sick, they can get into contract disputes, they can get hit by
meteors... Consequently, in drafting the story for Babylon 5, I made
sure... there is a �trap door' built into the storyline for every
character." (JMSNews 5/19/1994)
SExpand
A "trap door" is a character who may fill in for another and keep the
story moving forward. A number of trap doors are set off between The
Gathering and the premiere of the main series a year later: Doctor
Benjamin Kyle is replaced by Doctor Stephen Franklin, Lt. Commander
Laurel Takashima is replaced by Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova and telepath
Lyta Alexander (left) is replaced by telepath Talia Winters. When Andrea
Thompson later left the show to join NYPD Blue, Patricia Tallman
reprised her role as Lyta and finished off the telepath storyline,
making her the only character on the show to execute the difficult
"double trap door" maneuver.
Additional trap doors in the form of assistants and attach�s were added
for each of the core ambassadors: Lennier of the Minbari was Delenn's
trap door, Na'Toth of the Narn was G'Kar's, Vir of the Centauri was
Londo's. Since each ambassador was on a diplomatic mission and subject
to bureaucratic oversight, this scheme made it plausible to continue the
storylines should any of the ambassadors leave the show. Thankfully,
none did, and as a result the show had a rich stock of supporting
characters to carry it forward.
Of all the trapdoors, the trickiest one was the door that was never
meant to open: Jeffrey Sinclair, or more specifically, Jeffrey
Sinclair's love interest. One of the major plotlines on Babylon 5
involves the discovery of Za'ha'dum, the homeworld of an ancient and
malevolent race known as "the Shadows." Originally, this discovery was
to be made by Sinclair's on-again-off-again romantic interest, planetary
explorer Carolyn Sykes (Blaire Baron.) When Baron didn't return to the
show, her character was retconned over with Catherine Sakai, also a
planetary explorer, also Sinclair's love interest. When Sinclair was
ultimately replaced with John Sheridan, the planetary explorer becomes
Sheridan's wife, Anna.
By the time the role of "commander's love interest who discovers
Z'ha'dum" fell to Anna Sheridan (left), there simply wasn't time for
that aspect of the story to unfold at a natural pace. We only hear about
Anna's disappearance retrospectively, with most of the creepy
Shadow-inspired dialogue having fallen to Mr. Morden, one of Anna's
colleagues who becomes errand boy to the Shadows.
Had Catherine Sakai or Carolyn Sykes remained on the show, the story may
well have unfolded very differently. By transferring this storyline to a
character who is not seen until she returns corrupted by the Shadows
(except in a brief video log), Straczynski put the entire emotional
burden of this storyline on John Sheridan and Delenn, with whom Sheridan
had fallen in love. The audience had no relationship with Anna Sheridan,
so we could only feel the horror and loss of John's predicament through
Bruce Boxleitner's performance, not through anything we'd seen Anna
endure.
This made the casting of Bruce Boxleitner's wife Melissa Gilbert in the
role of Anna a particularly nice touch. Knowing that we are watching a
real-life married couple helps restore some of the emotional impact lost
by not making Anna a regular character.
Delenn
"[The Minbari ambassador's] name is Delenn. And he stays very close to
Commander Sinclair." (JMSNews 12/31/91)
Delenn (Mira Furlan, Lost) is the ambassador of the Minbari, an ancient,
secretive and mysterious race against whom the humans had fought a long
and bloody war. That war ended ten years earlier with the surprise
surrender of the Minbari right at their moment of victory.
Delenn was originally intended to be male but was always going to be
played by a female. The intention was that he would transform into a
female in the episode "Chrysalis," where he takes on human
characteristics in order to act as a bridge between our two species.
"What we have, basically, is a female actor playing a male character.
Women simply *move* differently than men do; the gestures, the tilt of
the head, the smile, it's just a shade different... When you look at the
finished product, you are looking at a male, but there's something wrong
about it somewhere, and it makes you a little uncertain... that sense
that your eyes and your brain are in conflict somewhere about what
you're seeing." (JMSNews 8/9/1992)
Sadly, what the left hand of darkness gives, the right hand often takes
away. For purely technical reasons, what would have been a
groundbreaking moment in transgendered science fiction was not to be.
The voice alteration technology needed to make Delenn sound male simply
wasn't up to the task and Straczynski ultimately chose to make Delenn
unambiguously female when the series premiered: "We've now gone through
about every possible electronic alteration, and frankly, none of them
sound as convincing as I'd like. Many of them sound *okay*, but we've
taken a hard and fast position on this show that �okay' is simply not
sufficient. So we've decided to leave Delenn female." (JMSNews
12/14/1992)
The remnants of "male Delenn" can still be seen in The Gathering.
Delenn's facial prosthetic extends around her jawline and down her nose,
giving her face a more pronounced masculine quality. Delenn's gender is
never mentioned in The Gathering. In the premiere episode a year later,
her jaw and nose are unmodified, her features more distinctly female and
her gender is explicitly referenced as female.
The effect of this change can be seen most profoundly at the start of
the second season, when Delenn emerges from the Chrysalis with human
characteristics. The transition from Minbari to human feels less radical
than it may have been, had she been the more androgynous Delenn of The
Gathering.
G'Kar
"I have a strong hunch that Londo and G'Kar are going to be real
break-out characters." (JMSNews 8/13/92)
G'Kar is the ambassador for the Narn, a proud race of warriors whose
homeworld had until recently been occupied by the Centauri, an
aristocratic race of imperialists represented on Babylon 5 by Londo
Molari. The evolution of G'Kar, whose name was originally spelled
"Jackarr" (JMSNews 6/17/1992) went a bit more according to plan than
Delenn's.
While it's clear that Straczynski was getting a good deal of traction
with his "Hill Street Blues... in SPACE!" premise, it's also true that
TV executives like easily defined heroes and villains. G'Kar represented
a kind of a false flag, a comic villain who would initially provide some
easy shenanigans but would over time evolve into something more.
Speaking of the role that G'Kar plays in the story, Straczynski said:
"We've all seen the SF standard of The Villain Who Chews Scenery... I
wanted to take that and use it just long enough to get folks comfortable
with the convention... then pull the rug out from under them." (JMSNews
5/1/92)
G'Kar was set up in The Gathering to be the scenery-chewing villain
Straczynski describes. When negotiating with telepath Lyta Alexander for
the use of her DNA to breed Narn telepaths, he cannot resist offering
her additional money for a "natural" mating. You stay classy, G'Kar. And
tasked with investigating the poisoning of the Vorlon ambassador, Kosh,
G'Kar uses the assignment as an opportunity to grandstand and build
alliances against the Centauri.
As the conflict between the Narn and Centauri becomes the key proxy war
with the rise of the Shadows, G'Kar transitions from self-serving
political player concerned with doing well to a beleaguered military
commander concerned with doing good and ultimately to a respected
spiritual leader concerned with doing right. It is the best and most
touching character arc on the show. There is little evidence in The
Gathering of the soulful, introspective warrior of peace whose monologue
closed Babylon 5's peak dramatic episode, "Za'ha'dum": "no one knows the
shape of [the] future... we only know it is always borne in pain."
The Other Show
"Honestly... you people get worried by the damndest things
sometimes...." (JMSNews 9/30/1993)
We cannot end our discussion of Babylon 5 without bringing up the
wormhole in the room, Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
In the midst of Babylon 5's development, Paramount began production on
their second next generation Star Trek show, Deep Space Nine. DS9 was to
be a grittier Star Trek with more emphasis on long-form storytelling,
more nuanced, conflicted characters, deeper exploration of a smaller
number of regular alien races and fewer "alien of the week" episodes.
Similarities between the shows not only in general theme but also in
specific execution led some partisans to accuse Paramount of outright
stealing Babylon 5's production plan after passing on the project some
time earlier. For his part, Straczynski never goes so far as to accuse
Paramount of theft, writing "I have never, *ever* felt, or believed, or
thought, that Berman or Pillar (sic) EVER saw or knew about the B5
information. Had anyone suggested anything of a less than
straightforward nature, they would have refused; of that I have no
doubt." (JMSNews 6/19/1995)
His annoyance seemed to stem more from Paramount's refusal to alter the
details of Deep Space Nine once the similarities became apparent.
Straczynski felt that the similarities between the shows would generate
confusion among fans and Paramount's stubbornness stemmed from an
arrogant sense of entitlement that the Star Trek franchise "owned" the
television space opera market: "I know full well that even if the
Warners PR machine got working 24 hours a day on this, half of all
viewers will see this show, coming out after DS9, and think it's just a
last-minute knockoff or ripoff of DS9". (JMSNews 9/27/1992)
It's one of the worst nightmares a writer can face: struggling for years
to develop an idea only to be scooped, whether out of theft or innocent
coincidence, by a more established name, and the raw emotion it stirred
up clearly took its toll on Straczynski. His message dated September 23,
1992, begins: "I am trying very, very, *very* hard not to lose it as
this moment" and is followed by an itemized list of the similarities
between the shows: DS9 takes place at a port of call for business
people, smugglers and diplomats, has a Promenade that resembles the
Babylon 5 Zoculo (then called the Bazaar), has a casino, a bar, a
brothel, is situated near a hyperspace jump point, features a
shapeshifter, a female second in command and an unmarried commanding
officer struggling with war trauma.
As for whether Straczynski succeeded in his mission to not "lose it,"
the prosecution offers his sign off: "Hey, Paramount! Phthpfttttt!"
Two days later, he seems to be more optimistic about moving past the
superficial similarities and allowing the two shows to evolve on their
own: "the other show is about a space station at which stories take
place;" he writes, "ours is a show about one particular story, one saga,
which happens to take place on a space station." (JMSNews 9/25/1992)
In the end, both shows were successful on their own terms and an
armistice was reached when Majel Barrett-Roddenberry aptly appeared on
Babylon 5 as the widow of the Centauri emperor, a man dedicated to peace
and reconciliation. Addressing concerns raised by Majel
Barrett-Roddenberry about conflict between the shows, Straczynski
reassured: "Majel should have no reason to be frightened; as I said, it
would be only wonderful for me (and, I suspect, viewers) if both shows
were around and healthy five years from now." (JMSNews 11/9/1992)
If Deep Space Nine was an obstacle to Babylon 5, it was only because of
the very prejudice Straczynski set out to confront in the first place,
namely that no one competes with Star Trek for the TV science fiction
audience. Ultimately, he was right that the superficial similarities
between the shows were just that: superficial, and that given time to
evolve along their separate paths, those similarities would become
decreasingly important. By succeeding right alongside "The Other Show,"
Babylon 5 ultimately achieved more than it set out to: it proved that
not only can good science fiction make for good television, but it also
doesn't have to be Star Trek to do it. As the old Vorlon proverb goes:
understanding is a three edged sword, your side, their side...and the
truth.
Jason Shankel is a writer and creative developer who ran to the rock to
hide his face, but the rock cried out "no hiding place."
--
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
February 22, 2013, marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Babylon
5: The Gathering, the pilot film for what would eventually become the
Babylon 5 television series. The show arguably changed the way narrative
television works, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also
changed the rules for TV creators by actively engaging his fanbase
online during the show's production.
Straczynski's online discussions reveal how drastically Babylon 5
changed from its initial pilot to its actual premiere a year later.
Archived and broken down by thread at JMSNews.com and by episode at The
Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, these discussions offer a rare and
fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day evolution of an innovative
television series. Indeed, Straczynski's diary of Babylon 5's inception
is almost as triumphant, tragic, hope-filled and heartbreaking as the
show itself.
And So, It Begins
"For the fans: no cute robots, no kids." (JMSNews 12/4/1991)
Frustrated with the stagnation of science fiction television,
Straczynski had set the following criteria for his show:
1) It would have to be good science fiction
2) It would have to be good television (rarely are scifi shows both)
3) It would have to take an adult approach to scifi and attempt to do
for scifi television what Hill Street Blues did for cop shows
4) It would have to be affordable
5) It would have to look unlike anything ever seen before on TV
6) It would present not just individual stories but present those
stories against a much broader canvas
(JMSNews 11/20/91)
While science fiction literature had long ago matured into a genre fit
for adults, science fiction television had stalled in a state of
suspended adolescence, dominated by cleanly defined heroes and villains,
simplistic plots and storytelling that wrapped everything up neatly at
the end of each episode.
Years earlier, television police dramas had found themselves in a
similar predicament. Speaking of the evolution of police dramas and
their relation to Babylon 5, Straczynski wrote: "[Hill Street Blues] was
about the redefinition of heroes; the hero as bureaucrat (Furillo), the
hero as ordinary man (Hill and Renko), the hero as psycho (Belker), the
hero as sleazebag (Buntz), and that genuinely struck me as the core of
that show... that heroes aren't always what we think they're supposed to
be, and that there is that spark that can be found in the unlikeliest of
places." � (JMSNews 9/28/1992)
More than anything else, the idea that heroes are found in the most
unlikely places is what distinguished Babylon 5 from its forebears. But
who were these unlikely heroes? And how did their story evolve in the
early development of the show?
The Trapdoors
"A destination may be fixed on the horizon... but sometimes the most fun
you have is getting lost from time to time on the way there." (JMSNews
1/16/1995)
Babylon 5 was to be a "novel for television" (JMSNews 1/13/1993) with a
defined beginning, middle and end to be played out over multiple
seasons.
"The trouble, of course," wrote Straczynski, "is that unlike writing a
novel, where characters exist only on a sheet of paper, actors... can
get sick, they can get into contract disputes, they can get hit by
meteors... Consequently, in drafting the story for Babylon 5, I made
sure... there is a �trap door' built into the storyline for every
character." (JMSNews 5/19/1994)
SExpand
A "trap door" is a character who may fill in for another and keep the
story moving forward. A number of trap doors are set off between The
Gathering and the premiere of the main series a year later: Doctor
Benjamin Kyle is replaced by Doctor Stephen Franklin, Lt. Commander
Laurel Takashima is replaced by Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova and telepath
Lyta Alexander (left) is replaced by telepath Talia Winters. When Andrea
Thompson later left the show to join NYPD Blue, Patricia Tallman
reprised her role as Lyta and finished off the telepath storyline,
making her the only character on the show to execute the difficult
"double trap door" maneuver.
Additional trap doors in the form of assistants and attach�s were added
for each of the core ambassadors: Lennier of the Minbari was Delenn's
trap door, Na'Toth of the Narn was G'Kar's, Vir of the Centauri was
Londo's. Since each ambassador was on a diplomatic mission and subject
to bureaucratic oversight, this scheme made it plausible to continue the
storylines should any of the ambassadors leave the show. Thankfully,
none did, and as a result the show had a rich stock of supporting
characters to carry it forward.
Of all the trapdoors, the trickiest one was the door that was never
meant to open: Jeffrey Sinclair, or more specifically, Jeffrey
Sinclair's love interest. One of the major plotlines on Babylon 5
involves the discovery of Za'ha'dum, the homeworld of an ancient and
malevolent race known as "the Shadows." Originally, this discovery was
to be made by Sinclair's on-again-off-again romantic interest, planetary
explorer Carolyn Sykes (Blaire Baron.) When Baron didn't return to the
show, her character was retconned over with Catherine Sakai, also a
planetary explorer, also Sinclair's love interest. When Sinclair was
ultimately replaced with John Sheridan, the planetary explorer becomes
Sheridan's wife, Anna.
By the time the role of "commander's love interest who discovers
Z'ha'dum" fell to Anna Sheridan (left), there simply wasn't time for
that aspect of the story to unfold at a natural pace. We only hear about
Anna's disappearance retrospectively, with most of the creepy
Shadow-inspired dialogue having fallen to Mr. Morden, one of Anna's
colleagues who becomes errand boy to the Shadows.
Had Catherine Sakai or Carolyn Sykes remained on the show, the story may
well have unfolded very differently. By transferring this storyline to a
character who is not seen until she returns corrupted by the Shadows
(except in a brief video log), Straczynski put the entire emotional
burden of this storyline on John Sheridan and Delenn, with whom Sheridan
had fallen in love. The audience had no relationship with Anna Sheridan,
so we could only feel the horror and loss of John's predicament through
Bruce Boxleitner's performance, not through anything we'd seen Anna
endure.
This made the casting of Bruce Boxleitner's wife Melissa Gilbert in the
role of Anna a particularly nice touch. Knowing that we are watching a
real-life married couple helps restore some of the emotional impact lost
by not making Anna a regular character.
Delenn
"[The Minbari ambassador's] name is Delenn. And he stays very close to
Commander Sinclair." (JMSNews 12/31/91)
Delenn (Mira Furlan, Lost) is the ambassador of the Minbari, an ancient,
secretive and mysterious race against whom the humans had fought a long
and bloody war. That war ended ten years earlier with the surprise
surrender of the Minbari right at their moment of victory.
Delenn was originally intended to be male but was always going to be
played by a female. The intention was that he would transform into a
female in the episode "Chrysalis," where he takes on human
characteristics in order to act as a bridge between our two species.
"What we have, basically, is a female actor playing a male character.
Women simply *move* differently than men do; the gestures, the tilt of
the head, the smile, it's just a shade different... When you look at the
finished product, you are looking at a male, but there's something wrong
about it somewhere, and it makes you a little uncertain... that sense
that your eyes and your brain are in conflict somewhere about what
you're seeing." (JMSNews 8/9/1992)
Sadly, what the left hand of darkness gives, the right hand often takes
away. For purely technical reasons, what would have been a
groundbreaking moment in transgendered science fiction was not to be.
The voice alteration technology needed to make Delenn sound male simply
wasn't up to the task and Straczynski ultimately chose to make Delenn
unambiguously female when the series premiered: "We've now gone through
about every possible electronic alteration, and frankly, none of them
sound as convincing as I'd like. Many of them sound *okay*, but we've
taken a hard and fast position on this show that �okay' is simply not
sufficient. So we've decided to leave Delenn female." (JMSNews
12/14/1992)
The remnants of "male Delenn" can still be seen in The Gathering.
Delenn's facial prosthetic extends around her jawline and down her nose,
giving her face a more pronounced masculine quality. Delenn's gender is
never mentioned in The Gathering. In the premiere episode a year later,
her jaw and nose are unmodified, her features more distinctly female and
her gender is explicitly referenced as female.
The effect of this change can be seen most profoundly at the start of
the second season, when Delenn emerges from the Chrysalis with human
characteristics. The transition from Minbari to human feels less radical
than it may have been, had she been the more androgynous Delenn of The
Gathering.
G'Kar
"I have a strong hunch that Londo and G'Kar are going to be real
break-out characters." (JMSNews 8/13/92)
G'Kar is the ambassador for the Narn, a proud race of warriors whose
homeworld had until recently been occupied by the Centauri, an
aristocratic race of imperialists represented on Babylon 5 by Londo
Molari. The evolution of G'Kar, whose name was originally spelled
"Jackarr" (JMSNews 6/17/1992) went a bit more according to plan than
Delenn's.
While it's clear that Straczynski was getting a good deal of traction
with his "Hill Street Blues... in SPACE!" premise, it's also true that
TV executives like easily defined heroes and villains. G'Kar represented
a kind of a false flag, a comic villain who would initially provide some
easy shenanigans but would over time evolve into something more.
Speaking of the role that G'Kar plays in the story, Straczynski said:
"We've all seen the SF standard of The Villain Who Chews Scenery... I
wanted to take that and use it just long enough to get folks comfortable
with the convention... then pull the rug out from under them." (JMSNews
5/1/92)
G'Kar was set up in The Gathering to be the scenery-chewing villain
Straczynski describes. When negotiating with telepath Lyta Alexander for
the use of her DNA to breed Narn telepaths, he cannot resist offering
her additional money for a "natural" mating. You stay classy, G'Kar. And
tasked with investigating the poisoning of the Vorlon ambassador, Kosh,
G'Kar uses the assignment as an opportunity to grandstand and build
alliances against the Centauri.
As the conflict between the Narn and Centauri becomes the key proxy war
with the rise of the Shadows, G'Kar transitions from self-serving
political player concerned with doing well to a beleaguered military
commander concerned with doing good and ultimately to a respected
spiritual leader concerned with doing right. It is the best and most
touching character arc on the show. There is little evidence in The
Gathering of the soulful, introspective warrior of peace whose monologue
closed Babylon 5's peak dramatic episode, "Za'ha'dum": "no one knows the
shape of [the] future... we only know it is always borne in pain."
The Other Show
"Honestly... you people get worried by the damndest things
sometimes...." (JMSNews 9/30/1993)
We cannot end our discussion of Babylon 5 without bringing up the
wormhole in the room, Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
In the midst of Babylon 5's development, Paramount began production on
their second next generation Star Trek show, Deep Space Nine. DS9 was to
be a grittier Star Trek with more emphasis on long-form storytelling,
more nuanced, conflicted characters, deeper exploration of a smaller
number of regular alien races and fewer "alien of the week" episodes.
Similarities between the shows not only in general theme but also in
specific execution led some partisans to accuse Paramount of outright
stealing Babylon 5's production plan after passing on the project some
time earlier. For his part, Straczynski never goes so far as to accuse
Paramount of theft, writing "I have never, *ever* felt, or believed, or
thought, that Berman or Pillar (sic) EVER saw or knew about the B5
information. Had anyone suggested anything of a less than
straightforward nature, they would have refused; of that I have no
doubt." (JMSNews 6/19/1995)
His annoyance seemed to stem more from Paramount's refusal to alter the
details of Deep Space Nine once the similarities became apparent.
Straczynski felt that the similarities between the shows would generate
confusion among fans and Paramount's stubbornness stemmed from an
arrogant sense of entitlement that the Star Trek franchise "owned" the
television space opera market: "I know full well that even if the
Warners PR machine got working 24 hours a day on this, half of all
viewers will see this show, coming out after DS9, and think it's just a
last-minute knockoff or ripoff of DS9". (JMSNews 9/27/1992)
It's one of the worst nightmares a writer can face: struggling for years
to develop an idea only to be scooped, whether out of theft or innocent
coincidence, by a more established name, and the raw emotion it stirred
up clearly took its toll on Straczynski. His message dated September 23,
1992, begins: "I am trying very, very, *very* hard not to lose it as
this moment" and is followed by an itemized list of the similarities
between the shows: DS9 takes place at a port of call for business
people, smugglers and diplomats, has a Promenade that resembles the
Babylon 5 Zoculo (then called the Bazaar), has a casino, a bar, a
brothel, is situated near a hyperspace jump point, features a
shapeshifter, a female second in command and an unmarried commanding
officer struggling with war trauma.
As for whether Straczynski succeeded in his mission to not "lose it,"
the prosecution offers his sign off: "Hey, Paramount! Phthpfttttt!"
Two days later, he seems to be more optimistic about moving past the
superficial similarities and allowing the two shows to evolve on their
own: "the other show is about a space station at which stories take
place;" he writes, "ours is a show about one particular story, one saga,
which happens to take place on a space station." (JMSNews 9/25/1992)
In the end, both shows were successful on their own terms and an
armistice was reached when Majel Barrett-Roddenberry aptly appeared on
Babylon 5 as the widow of the Centauri emperor, a man dedicated to peace
and reconciliation. Addressing concerns raised by Majel
Barrett-Roddenberry about conflict between the shows, Straczynski
reassured: "Majel should have no reason to be frightened; as I said, it
would be only wonderful for me (and, I suspect, viewers) if both shows
were around and healthy five years from now." (JMSNews 11/9/1992)
If Deep Space Nine was an obstacle to Babylon 5, it was only because of
the very prejudice Straczynski set out to confront in the first place,
namely that no one competes with Star Trek for the TV science fiction
audience. Ultimately, he was right that the superficial similarities
between the shows were just that: superficial, and that given time to
evolve along their separate paths, those similarities would become
decreasingly important. By succeeding right alongside "The Other Show,"
Babylon 5 ultimately achieved more than it set out to: it proved that
not only can good science fiction make for good television, but it also
doesn't have to be Star Trek to do it. As the old Vorlon proverb goes:
understanding is a three edged sword, your side, their side...and the
truth.
Jason Shankel is a writer and creative developer who ran to the rock to
hide his face, but the rock cried out "no hiding place."
--
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
Adam H. Kerman
Mar 30, 2013, 12:36:31 PM3/30/13
to
crosspost to rec.arts.tv.babylon5 cut as no such group exists.
>http://io9.com/5985727/the-strange-secret-evolution-of-babylon-5
>Jason Shankel
>February 22, 2013, marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Babylon
>5: The Gathering, the pilot film for what would eventually become the
>Babylon 5 television series. The show arguably changed the way narrative
>television works, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also
>changed the rules for TV creators by actively engaging his fanbase
>online during the show's production.
>Straczynski's online discussions reveal how drastically Babylon 5
>changed from its initial pilot to its actual premiere a year later.
>Archived and broken down by thread at JMSNews.com and by episode at The
>Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, these discussions offer a rare and
>fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day evolution of an innovative
>television series. Indeed, Straczynski's diary of Babylon 5's inception
>is almost as triumphant, tragic, hope-filled and heartbreaking as the
>show itself. . . .
Gee, dude, it's helpful to have a refresher in how the show evolved, but
you promised secrets that you failed to deliver. You summarized on line
discussion at the time the show was in production.
I recall not being wild about either Carolyn Sykes and Catherine Sakai.
I didn't think Sinclair had much chemistry with either. I was particularly
annoyed that it was apparently the same character, recast. Blaire Baron
wasn't hired for the series. Sinclair could have had an entirely different
girlfriend written for him, whose initial weren't C.S.
Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
I'm glad we got a reminder of the relationship among the three characters,
and the difficulty of having plot threads you've got to reveal to the
audience get screwed up by unplanned casting changes.
>http://io9.com/5985727/the-strange-secret-evolution-of-babylon-5
>Jason Shankel
>February 22, 2013, marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Babylon
>5: The Gathering, the pilot film for what would eventually become the
>Babylon 5 television series. The show arguably changed the way narrative
>television works, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also
>changed the rules for TV creators by actively engaging his fanbase
>online during the show's production.
>Straczynski's online discussions reveal how drastically Babylon 5
>changed from its initial pilot to its actual premiere a year later.
>Archived and broken down by thread at JMSNews.com and by episode at The
>Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, these discussions offer a rare and
>fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day evolution of an innovative
>television series. Indeed, Straczynski's diary of Babylon 5's inception
>is almost as triumphant, tragic, hope-filled and heartbreaking as the
Gee, dude, it's helpful to have a refresher in how the show evolved, but
you promised secrets that you failed to deliver. You summarized on line
discussion at the time the show was in production.
I recall not being wild about either Carolyn Sykes and Catherine Sakai.
I didn't think Sinclair had much chemistry with either. I was particularly
annoyed that it was apparently the same character, recast. Blaire Baron
wasn't hired for the series. Sinclair could have had an entirely different
girlfriend written for him, whose initial weren't C.S.
Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
I'm glad we got a reminder of the relationship among the three characters,
and the difficulty of having plot threads you've got to reveal to the
audience get screwed up by unplanned casting changes.
Never Ever
Apr 6, 2013, 10:54:42 AM4/6/13
to
On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
> Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
> she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
> Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
> she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
--
It's no fairy tale, there's no breadcrumb trail
To lead you back, but, it's just as well.
And, you can close the book and curse the turn it took.
Tell the true story of how you fell.
That's a better one to tell.
Adam H. Kerman
Apr 6, 2013, 1:51:56 PM4/6/13
to
Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
>>she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
>>she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
Never Ever
Apr 6, 2013, 3:26:47 PM4/6/13
to
He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
Shadows. Awkward.
Adam H. Kerman
Apr 6, 2013, 5:33:39 PM4/6/13
to
Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
>>>>she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
>>>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>>Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>Shadows. Awkward.
There was zero chemistry between the two actors, despite being married
>On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
>>>>she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
>>>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>>Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>Shadows. Awkward.
in real life.
Andrew Swallow
Apr 6, 2013, 8:24:51 PM4/6/13
to
On 06/04/2013 22:33, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>> On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>> Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>> On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>
>>>>> Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
>>>>> she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
>>>> She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>> in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>
>>> Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>
>> Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>
>> He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>> Shadows. Awkward.
>
> There was zero chemistry between the two actors, despite being married
> in real life.
>
Other than hate there could not be much chemistry between the two
> Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>> On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>> Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>> On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>
>>>>> Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really got that
>>>>> she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials weren't C.S.
>>>> She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>> in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>
>>> Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>
>> Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>
>> He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>> Shadows. Awkward.
>
> There was zero chemistry between the two actors, despite being married
> in real life.
>
characters, otherwise he would not have killed her.
Andrew Swallow
Adam H. Kerman
Apr 6, 2013, 10:15:09 PM4/6/13
to
did I get the impression that the two had been in love. What's so difficult
to understand here?
Pelerin Galimatias
Apr 14, 2013, 3:53:26 PM4/14/13
to
In article <kjqkrd$e05$1...@news.albasani.net>, a...@chinet.com says...
her mind was intergrated into the controls of one of their spaceships. Even
their advanced science could not bring her completed back. If she could have
been restored to human life, rather being a pseudo being under their control,
he would have tried to save her.
--
0000001000000100000110001000011010001111110010111011101000010000
>
>Andrew Swallow <am.sw...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>On 06/04/2013 22:33, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>>>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>
>>>>>>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really
>>>>>>>got that she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials
>>>>>>>weren't C.S.
>
>>>>>>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>>>>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>
>>>>>Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>
>>>>Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>
>>>>He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>>>>Shadows. Awkward.
>
She was his wife and he loved her, but after being captured by the Shadows
>Andrew Swallow <am.sw...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>On 06/04/2013 22:33, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>>>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>
>>>>>>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really
>>>>>>>got that she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials
>>>>>>>weren't C.S.
>
>>>>>>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>>>>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>
>>>>>Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>
>>>>Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>
>>>>He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>>>>Shadows. Awkward.
>
her mind was intergrated into the controls of one of their spaceships. Even
their advanced science could not bring her completed back. If she could have
been restored to human life, rather being a pseudo being under their control,
he would have tried to save her.
--
0000001000000100000110001000011010001111110010111011101000010000
AC
Jul 27, 2013, 11:42:12 PM7/27/13
to
integrated in to a shadow ship as its processor. She was then ripped out
of the ship and the shadows tried to rebuild her enough to convince
Sheridan it was really her. What they sent to B5 was a husk. Looked like
Anna, acted a bit like Anna, but no depth, feeling or "soul". Sheridan
knew it wasn't "her". Why? No chemistry.
So obviously you saw no chemistry, or any indication they were one lovers.
--
AC
Adam H. Kerman
Jul 28, 2013, 12:55:59 AM7/28/13
to
AC <x...@xxx.xxx> wrote:
Yeah, I got what was wrong with Anna. The trouble was, I didn't get an
impression that Sheridan mourned her loss when the recreated Anna
was returned to him. I wanted to see him a bit more conflicted.
What's with reviving a dead thread?
impression that Sheridan mourned her loss when the recreated Anna
was returned to him. I wanted to see him a bit more conflicted.
What's with reviving a dead thread?
Merrick Baldelli
Jul 28, 2013, 8:23:41 PM7/28/13
to
On Sun, 28 Jul 2013 04:42:12 +0100, AC <x...@xxx.xxx> wrote:
>There couldn't be any chemistry. She was stripped of her mind to be
>integrated in to a shadow ship as its processor. She was then ripped out
>of the ship and the shadows tried to rebuild her enough to convince
>Sheridan it was really her. What they sent to B5 was a husk. Looked like
>Anna, acted a bit like Anna, but no depth, feeling or "soul". Sheridan
>knew it wasn't "her". Why? No chemistry.
That and the head scan Dr. Franklin performed that showed the
>There couldn't be any chemistry. She was stripped of her mind to be
>integrated in to a shadow ship as its processor. She was then ripped out
>of the ship and the shadows tried to rebuild her enough to convince
>Sheridan it was really her. What they sent to B5 was a husk. Looked like
>Anna, acted a bit like Anna, but no depth, feeling or "soul". Sheridan
>knew it wasn't "her". Why? No chemistry.
former presence of the circuitry necessary to interface her with a
Shadow Ship.
>So obviously you saw no chemistry, or any indication they were one lovers.
was written, Sheridan was being a pragmatist wanting to make sure he
wasn't allowing his feelings were being manipulated.
--
-=-=-/ )=*=-='=-.-'-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_( (_ , '_ * . Merrick Baldelli
(((\ \> /_1 `
(\\\\ \_/ /
-=-\ /-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
\ _/ You can't spell 'disgust' without
/ / 'SGU' - Anim8rFSK
AC
Jul 28, 2013, 10:22:51 PM7/28/13
to
>
> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>
and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
--
AC
Adam H. Kerman
Jul 29, 2013, 12:39:09 AM7/29/13
to
AC
Jul 29, 2013, 7:27:48 AM7/29/13
to
If you can, the books are so worth reading, especially the ones that
cover the Shadows, Anna, Morden, Galen, and the Technomages. (Granted
some of the stand alone books are a bit crap.) For me, its a real shame
these stories were never on screen. The trilogies would have made decent
mini series'.
--
AC
AC
Jul 29, 2013, 7:29:28 AM7/29/13
to
Merrick Baldelli wrote:
>
>> So obviously you saw no chemistry, or any indication they were one lovers.
>
> Your notion is certainly romantic, but even the way the scene
> was written, Sheridan was being a pragmatist wanting to make sure he
> wasn't allowing his feelings were being manipulated.
>
How is that romantic?
>
>> So obviously you saw no chemistry, or any indication they were one lovers.
>
> Your notion is certainly romantic, but even the way the scene
> was written, Sheridan was being a pragmatist wanting to make sure he
> wasn't allowing his feelings were being manipulated.
>
--
AC
Jim G.
Jul 29, 2013, 2:54:05 PM7/29/13
to
AC sent the following on 7/28/2013 9:22 PM:
http://mozbackup.org/index.html
--
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"Dang it. That was my best Dirty Harry. He might just be an idiot." --
Jason Stackhouse, TRUE BLOOD
> Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>
>> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>>
>
> Ha! New PC, so new install of newsreader. Was just adding newsgroups,
> and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
> what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
Mozbackup is your friend. :)
>>
>> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>>
>
> Ha! New PC, so new install of newsreader. Was just adding newsgroups,
> and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
> what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
http://mozbackup.org/index.html
--
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"Dang it. That was my best Dirty Harry. He might just be an idiot." --
Jason Stackhouse, TRUE BLOOD
AC
Jul 29, 2013, 11:16:05 PM7/29/13
to
Jim G. wrote:
> AC sent the following on 7/28/2013 9:22 PM:
>> Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>
>>> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>>>
>>
>> Ha! New PC, so new install of newsreader. Was just adding newsgroups,
>> and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
>> what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
>
> Mozbackup is your friend. :)
>
> http://mozbackup.org/index.html
>
If I had access to my old HD, I would have just copied the data files
> AC sent the following on 7/28/2013 9:22 PM:
>> Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>
>>> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>>>
>>
>> Ha! New PC, so new install of newsreader. Was just adding newsgroups,
>> and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
>> what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
>
> Mozbackup is your friend. :)
>
> http://mozbackup.org/index.html
>
over. Sadly, right now, not the case.
And, if I had just restored a back up, I would not have found this old
thread!!!!!
--
AC
Jim G.
Jul 30, 2013, 2:08:07 PM7/30/13
to
AC sent the following on 7/29/2013 10:16 PM:
drive for that very reason.
> And, if I had just restored a back up, I would not have found this old
> thread!!!!!
Fair enough. :)
> Jim G. wrote:
>> AC sent the following on 7/28/2013 9:22 PM:
>>> Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>>
>>>> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>>>>
>>>
>>> Ha! New PC, so new install of newsreader. Was just adding newsgroups,
>>> and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
>>> what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
>>
>> Mozbackup is your friend. :)
>>
>> http://mozbackup.org/index.html
>>
>
> If I had access to my old HD, I would have just copied the data files
> over. Sadly, right now, not the case.
I create my backups on my hard drive and then copy them all to a thumb
>> AC sent the following on 7/28/2013 9:22 PM:
>>> Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>>
>>>> What's with reviving a dead thread?
>>>>
>>>
>>> Ha! New PC, so new install of newsreader. Was just adding newsgroups,
>>> and this popped up. It was interesting. I read the books that covered
>>> what happened to Anna in detail, thought I'd share.
>>
>> Mozbackup is your friend. :)
>>
>> http://mozbackup.org/index.html
>>
>
> If I had access to my old HD, I would have just copied the data files
> over. Sadly, right now, not the case.
drive for that very reason.
> And, if I had just restored a back up, I would not have found this old
> thread!!!!!
Merrick Baldelli
Aug 1, 2013, 12:23:35 PM8/1/13
to
to when the Shadows showed up at B5 with Anna in the lead. One of the
first things that he wanted done on Anna was to have a medical exam.
--
-=-=-/ )=*=-='=-.-'-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_( (_ , '_ * . Merrick Baldelli
(((\ \> /_1 `
(\\\\ \_/ /
-=-\ /-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
/ / stopped taking their medication?
- Captain Infinity
Jonathan
Oct 19, 2013, 2:57:56 PM10/19/13
to
creepy. It was supposed to be like some dead thing wearing Anna's skin,
a permanent resident of the Uncanny Valley. If they'd had real
chemistry, would Sheridan have been able to call down a nuke-laden White
Star on his own position and jump into a bottomless pit?
Andrew Swallow
Oct 19, 2013, 6:44:23 PM10/19/13
to
down.
Andrew Swallow
Adam H. Kerman
Oct 19, 2013, 10:10:28 PM10/19/13
to
Jonathan <j...@dorsal.tk> wrote:
>In rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 Adam H. Kerman <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>> Andrew Swallow <am.sw...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>>On 06/04/2013 22:33, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>>On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>>>>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really
>>>>>>>>got that she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials
>>>>>>>>weren't C.S.
>>
>>>>>>>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>>>>>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>>
>>>>>>Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>>
>>>>>Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>>
>>>>>He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>>>>>Shadows. Awkward.
>>
>>>>There was zero chemistry between the two actors, despite being married
>>>>in real life.
>>
>>>Other than hate there could not be much chemistry between the two
>>>characters, otherwise he would not have killed her.
>>
>> Even hate requires two actors to share on-screen chemistry. At no point
>> did I get the impression that the two had been in love. What's so difficult
>> to understand here?
>
>That's exactly the point. . . .
>In rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 Adam H. Kerman <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>> Andrew Swallow <am.sw...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>>On 06/04/2013 22:33, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>>On Apr 6, 12:51 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>>>>>Never Ever <ne...@never-ever.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>On Mar 30, 11:36 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>>>>>Also, I didn't think much of Anna as a villain and I never really
>>>>>>>>got that she and Sheridan were past lovers. At least Anna's initials
>>>>>>>>weren't C.S.
>>
>>>>>>>She was his wife, as she announced when she first appeared in person
>>>>>>>in the cliffhanger at the end of the episode before Z'ha'dum.
>>
>>>>>>Way to totally and completely miss my point.
>>
>>>>>Well... you did phrase it ambiguously!
>>
>>>>>He thought she was dead and wanted to move on. She was possessed by
>>>>>Shadows. Awkward.
>>
>>>>There was zero chemistry between the two actors, despite being married
>>>>in real life.
>>
>>>Other than hate there could not be much chemistry between the two
>>>characters, otherwise he would not have killed her.
>>
>> Even hate requires two actors to share on-screen chemistry. At no point
>> did I get the impression that the two had been in love. What's so difficult
>> to understand here?
>
What the hell is the point of reviving a thread that's been dead since April?
Andrew Swallow
Oct 20, 2013, 1:52:27 AM10/20/13
to
rdc
Nov 6, 2013, 6:05:02 PM11/6/13
to
On Sat, 19 Oct 2013 14:57:56 -0500, Jonathan wrote
(in article <l3ukni$rqc$1...@dont-email.me>):
Are you thinking like the central conceit of "Pet Semetary"?
(in article <l3ukni$rqc$1...@dont-email.me>):
Captain Infinity
Nov 6, 2013, 11:06:03 PM11/6/13
to
Once Upon A Time,
Gilbert for the part because they knew she can't act, and would therefore
appear awkward and unsuited in scenes with Sheridan?
**
Captain Infinity
Jonathan wrote:
>>>Other than hate there could not be much chemistry between the two
>>>characters, otherwise he would not have killed her.
>>
>> Even hate requires two actors to share on-screen chemistry. At no point
>> did I get the impression that the two had been in love. What's so difficult
>> to understand here?
>
>That's exactly the point. It was supposed to be flat and awkward and
>creepy. It was supposed to be like some dead thing wearing Anna's skin,
>a permanent resident of the Uncanny Valley. If they'd had real
>chemistry, would Sheridan have been able to call down a nuke-laden White
>Star on his own position and jump into a bottomless pit?
Are you saying that JMS and the B5 producers deliberately hired Melissa
>>>Other than hate there could not be much chemistry between the two
>>>characters, otherwise he would not have killed her.
>>
>> Even hate requires two actors to share on-screen chemistry. At no point
>> did I get the impression that the two had been in love. What's so difficult
>> to understand here?
>
>That's exactly the point. It was supposed to be flat and awkward and
>creepy. It was supposed to be like some dead thing wearing Anna's skin,
>a permanent resident of the Uncanny Valley. If they'd had real
>chemistry, would Sheridan have been able to call down a nuke-laden White
>Star on his own position and jump into a bottomless pit?
Gilbert for the part because they knew she can't act, and would therefore
appear awkward and unsuited in scenes with Sheridan?
**
Captain Infinity
0 new messages