JMS on CompuServe: Quality of Mercy SPOILERS
Michele Worley
about QoM from CompuServe's SciFi forum...
SPOILERS appear below.
==========================================================
<insert question about involvement with The Real Ghostbusters
and offence at the "vulgar way" of ending QoM here>
==========================================================
BABYLON 5: JUNE LOCKHART EPISODE (THE QUALITY OF MERCY)
DATE: SUN AUG 21, 1994 5:47:19 PM (#798475)
To your first question...yes, I was involved with
the animated series "The Real Ghostbusters," as story
editor for the first syndicated season and the first
network season (basically story editing 78 episodes in
the same season), and over all wrote about 20 or so
episodes. It was a great deal of fun, but the best part
is that the show continues to be very popular.
As for the ending of "Quality," which you describe
as "vulgar, unnecessary and uncalled for"...the only
thing that I can do is disagree. While you are free to
describe it in any terms you wish, and I cannot contest
that part of it, since a subjective reaction is just
that...it is not within the purview of any viewer, or
reader, to decide that something is or is not necessary
and called for within the province of a story. That is
the writer's responsibility. You may not like it. That's
your province. So I would separate out those two issues.
Secondarily, it was handled with infinite discretion.
At NO POINT was anything put verbally. At no point was it
even linked to sex. It was *very* carefully written so
that unless you're really paying attention, you won't get
it. Certainly young kids won't get it. It's implied only
very, very tangentially. My show is for adults. I write
for adults. If you want to see vulgar, turn on "Absolutely
Fabulous" on Comedy Channel...which is also one of the
funniest shows around.
Anyway, I'm sorry you didn't like that aspect. You
are the first person to express that opinion, but that in
no way invalidates it. I just don't agree with it.
jms
=========================================================
QUESTION: <compliment on handling with discretion & maturity)
Just to get really sordid...considering what Li looks like,
does this mean that Centauri males have one or *two*?!
(paraphrased from #799714)
=========================================================
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:11:03 AM (#799839)
Centauri males have six.
jms
===========================================
QUESTION: <about how Londo's appendange reacted
when the water pitcher was removed>
===========================================
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 3:16:27 (#800962)
We used a bullwhip sound effect for the
"retraction" in QoM; when we were in sound editing,
I asked for the hardest whip-crack they had...and
got it put in REAL loud. Every time I hear it, I'm
on the floor....
jms
------------------------------------------------------
BABYLON 5: QofM GOV'T HYPOCRISY (#798897)
DATE: MON AUG 22, 1994 1:21:04 AM
There are actually many issues to get into in all of
this. Which is really the "person," the mind, the soul,
or the body? If a person has an accident, getting amnesia,
which wipes out his entire personality, is that person as
good as dead? Is there no difference between amnesia and
death? If not, why not just kill the amnesiac? But
obviously there *is* a difference. So what is the person?
What constitutes death?
We consider the actual death of the *brain* through the
cessation of brain activity to be the test for death. But
what if you simply rearrange those patterns?
There is also the question of *justice*. If the person
is dead, then that person cannot do much to correct the ills
he visited upon society. It is simply a waste of material.
So why not take someone who, in any decent society, would be
executed or forced to live in a 6x9 cage the rest of his life,
and give the soul, and the body, a new chance by giving the
person a new personality and letting him, as the Ombuds says,
"serve the community harmed by his actions"?
Finally, if the person is dead, he's dead; let's say 5
years down the road somebody finds evidence that proves the
person was innocent. There is at least the *chance* to
reconstruct some of the original memories and personality
profile.
All of this, again, has to be considered in light of the
fact that we are talking about a *space station* with limited
space and resources. You cannot warehouse every person who
kill somebody in a station that small; you would run out of
space almost immediately. (If you also include basic felons
and near-killings.) So what *do* you do with them? As was
noted, Earth doesn't want them and won't pay to have them
shipped back...what's left?
That's the dilemma I wanted to pose in the episode...what
*can* you do?
jms
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:11:30 AM (#799835)
"...the 'personality' remaining in the body will
be punished for a crime that 'personality' did not
commit."
1) But again, which is the person...the old
personality, the new one, or something else?
2) Part of the new personality would be the delight
in serving others.
jms
=======================================================
QUESTION: <admire memory-wipe solution> What about the
theory that some people are genetically prone to commit
crimes? Even if the personality is wiped, if the brain
is genetically/chemically predisposed to be criminal
wouldn't the new personality also be criminal? (paraphrase
from #801973)
====================================================
DATE: THURS AUG 25, 1994 3:26:17 AM (#802040)
The theory is as yet only a theory; and if proven
true, still wouldn't cover all cases. If true, those
cases where that could be shown that was the cause would
receive different treatment.
jms
====================================================
QUESTION: If Talia wears gloves to avoid physical contact
with others, why did she keep them on when putting the
black band on the badge? Why does she seem to wear them
all the time? (paraphrase from #799070)
======================================================
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:11:31 AM (#799836)
I suspect that's a director question....
jms
DATE: THURS AUG 25, 1994 1:14:04 AM (#801949)
There will be 22 episodes in season two.
jms
DATE: THURS AUG 25, 1994 1:14:09 AM (#801950)
My involvement is *total* with every single aspect of B5.
Once the script is written, I work directlly with the
costume designers, prop designers, art director, director,
computer graphics designers, every department. I'm in on
every phase of pre-production. All design elements must get
approval through my office.
I'm directly involved in casting sessions, with final
approval (along with Doug Netter) of who's cast in our
episodes. I have meetings with the director and others to
set the tone of the episodes.
I'm on set during filming, working with the director as
much as I can, given that I'm simultaneously working on the
next few episodes. Generally, though, once the script hits
the stage floor, it's virtually never changed (and then only
after checking with me or Larry), and the directors know what
they're doing well enough to leave them alone. (Hire good
people and get out of their face.)
When the director finishes his or her cut of the episode,
John Copeland and I take over and do the producer's cut, in
some cases totally re-editing episodes (though the better the
director, the less of this we need to do). After the producer's
cut is made, I work directly with John, Chris Franke, and our
sound design people on the sound effects, music, walla and
other elements that go into the show.
Finally, I'm there at the end audio mix, where it all
comes together.
I can't "leave this kind of stuff up to the directors"
because for starters, directors don't do a lot of this stuff.
Also, directors come and go and may not have the vision of
the series in its totality. Further, TV is primarily a
producer/writer's medium, whereas film is a director's
medium. This is my vision of the show, and I have to be
there at every stage to make sure it *remains* my vision.
So on one level...my fingerprints are all over the show,
on every square inch, at every level. On another level...one
can only do this if you've got a terrific crew, cast and
production team who know their stuff and make this an easy
and painless process. They're bright, have vast amounts of
initiative, and are fun to work with.
jms
==========================================================
QUESTION: Will you and Claudia Christian be appearing at a
Dallas convention in October?
===========================================================
BABYLON 5: CONVENTION APPEARANCE (#799837)
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:11:01 AM
TO FRED J ORTIZ
Yeah, I plan to be at the con provided we're not shooting
the pilot for a second SF series at the same time. Claudia
will also be there.
jms
=======================================================
QUESTION: *WHAT* new series? (paraphrase)
=======================================================
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:13:20 PM (#800116)
I will tell more about this in the fullness of time.
jms
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 3:04:23 (#800952)
I'll probably post a note about this shortly.
jms
------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: I put the press release and the resulting thread
in a separate post. (MLW)
-------------------------------------------------------
Michele Worley
You have read the subject line, yes?
Stuff from CompuServe's SciFi forum...
-----begin included text------
DATE: SUN AUG 21, 1994 3:12:23 AM (#798072)
If you're referring to Na'Toth as done by Caitlin
Brown...no, there wasn't a problem with the makeup. She
came in at the last moment to do the character after the
original actress *did* have a problem working within a
prosthetic. Caitlin is a very attractive woman who has
begun receiving feature film/romantic lead parts, and felt
she wanted to pursue that rather than continue hiding her
face as Na'Toth.
jms
DATE: SUN AUG 21, 1994 3:19:18 AM (#798082)
Yeah, the last episode of this year will air around
the last week in October. PTEN thinks it's our strongest
episode (which it is), and they feel that it's best to
hold that to kick in year two. Me, I'd prefer it be aired
well before that, since it is a cliffhanger in some ways...
but hey, I'm just the executive producer....
jms
=========================================================
QUESTION (paraphrase) Have *you* considered doing a cameo?
=========================================================
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:11:02 AM (#799838)
Nope. Don't do cameos. Destroys the illusion for me.
jms
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 3:04:24 (#800953)
Not PGP, it's PPG...Phased Plasma Gun (or Phased
Plasma Generator, depending on who you're talking to).
jms
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 3:17:05 (#800965)
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.
jms
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 9:41:14 (#801676)
The way it was constructed is that we'd have a few arc stories
in year one, the rest mainly stand-alones. We then roughly double
that number in year two. Increase it again by year three...such
that by year five, every story is an arc story, all closely connected,
because by then all hell has broken loose, and you're racing toward
the conclusion of the story.
jms
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 9:41:17 (#801678)
The people at Creation Con are, for the most part,
idiots. They went around announcing that Michael York
was going to be brought in as the new commander of B5;
they just released a bunch of B5 caps with tags that read
LICENSED PRODUCT PARAMOUNT TELEVISION...which had to be
recalled when PTEN went righteously ballistic. And now
they picked up on Mark Altman's goofball notion that
O'Hare was fired because of what was said on the Nets,
which the studio NEVER EVEN SAW.
Idiots. I refuse to have anything more to do with them.
jms
===================================================
QUESTION: Which came 1st, the B5-universe reason for
having Garibaldi deliver the autopsy report in B^2, or
the idea that it might be a waste to bring in an actor
[Dr. Franklin] for 1 scene? Was this an effortless
decision? Knock-down fights? (paraphrase, see #796937)
===================================================
DATE: SAT AUG 20, 1994 12:47:03 AM (#797156)
I make those decisions, so there's no drag-out
fights. I can't really tell you which came first
because they both kinda came at the same time; I look
at the story, and ask, "Do I need this character here?"
If the story dictates no, not really, then I don't.
jms
==========================================================
QUESTION (paraphrase): In AtSFoS, the GC guy had a triangle,
but not in B^2. In S&P, Delenn had one. Why?
==========================================================
BABYLON 5: B-SQRD QUESTIONS (#799834)
DATE: TUES AUG 23, 1994 3:11:28 AM
While the triangle is one element of the Grey Council
symbology, it is not present and visible at all times and
under all circumstances; it has a particular purpose or
meaning.
jms
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 2:23:00 (#801258)
Some of the information about the missing 24 hours
is in "Babylon Squared," but the bulk of it, the heart
of the story, is in the first episode of the second
season, which C4 *has* purchased.
jms
========================================================
QUESTIONS: Why did the Minbari surrender? Why was Sinclair
chosen for B5? (paraphrase)
=========================================================
DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 3:17:03 (#800964)
You will get *all* the answers in the first episode of
the second season, which airs at the start of November.
(Well, all the answers to the specific questions you asked,
anyway....)
jms
---end included text--
Joseph Zitt
Michele Worley <wor...@ocala.cs.ucf.edu> quotes jms on Compuserve:
> Finally, if the person is dead, he's dead; let's say 5
>years down the road somebody finds evidence that proves the
>person was innocent. There is at least the *chance* to
>reconstruct some of the original memories and personality
>profile.
Does this mean that there's a sort of database somewhere of the wiped
criminals' original personalities? That could be dangerous/useful.
Damn... to say more would be to speculate.
--
--
Joseph Zitt jz...@ssnet.com | Officially Rich and Famous ..... (yeah, right)
Tom Krajna
>DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 9:41:14 (#801676)
> The way it was constructed is that we'd have a few arc stories
>in year one, the rest mainly stand-alones. We then roughly double
>that number in year two. Increase it again by year three...such
>that by year five, every story is an arc story, all closely connected,
>because by then all hell has broken loose, and you're racing toward
>the conclusion of the story.
> jms
In year five, "every story is an arc story"??? This may be too much
for some people to take. WhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWham
WhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWhamWham. Ow.
Just another fawning sycophant...
--Tom K.
Jarno Kokko
>the last week in October. PTEN thinks it's our strongest
>episode (which it is), and they feel that it's best to
>hold that to kick in year two. Me, I'd prefer it be aired
>well before that, since it is a cliffhanger in some ways...
>but hey, I'm just the executive producer....
>
> jms
*GRIN* ... our poor JMS was walked over by someone even
bigger guy :-) Network execs are evil. Ever thought
about asking one of those guys to do a cameo as an
agent of the Shadowmen? No acting required. :-)
>DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 9:41:14 (#801676)
>
> The way it was constructed is that we'd have a few arc stories
>in year one, the rest mainly stand-alones. We then roughly double
>that number in year two. Increase it again by year three...such
>that by year five, every story is an arc story, all closely connected,
>because by then all hell has broken loose, and you're racing toward
>the conclusion of the story.
>
> jms
>
'year five, every story is an arc story'
'All hell has broken loose'
OhBoy! .. Can you say 22 times Wham. Last Wham being probably
twice as long as the first 21. I knew you could.
>DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 9:41:17 (#801678)
>
> The people at Creation Con are, for the most part,
>idiots. They went around announcing that Michael York
>was going to be brought in as the new commander of B5;
>they just released a bunch of B5 caps with tags that read
>LICENSED PRODUCT PARAMOUNT TELEVISION...which had to be
>recalled when PTEN went righteously ballistic. And now
>they picked up on Mark Altman's goofball notion that
>O'Hare was fired because of what was said on the Nets,
>which the studio NEVER EVEN SAW.
>
To me, this comes as no surprise.
> Idiots. I refuse to have anything more to do with them.
>
> jms
*BRAVO*
----
Also by the way. DOES SOMEONE ARCHIVE THE GENIE POSTS? I haven't
seen a THING from GEnie in hyperion for AGES! WE WANT GENIE STUFF!
*WHINE*
:-)
__________
Jarnis (Jarno Kokko)-----______________ 'The avalanche has already
jar...@mits.mdata.fi* -------- started. It is too
jar...@cute.cute.fi SF-TV Universe, as we know ------- late for the
* - finger for more, it, has come to an end. ----- pebbles to
PGP public key available. BABYLON 5 IS HERE! --- vote.'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
jrd...@indyunix.iupui.edu
:
: You have read the subject line, yes?
:
: Stuff from CompuServe's SciFi forum...
: -----begin included text------
: DATE: WED AUG 24, 1994 9:41:14 (#801676)
:
: The way it was constructed is that we'd have a few arc stories
: in year one, the rest mainly stand-alones. We then roughly double
: that number in year two. Increase it again by year three...such
: that by year five, every story is an arc story, all closely connected,
: because by then all hell has broken loose, and you're racing toward
: the conclusion of the story.
:
: jms
In four years, I'm either going to be paying someone mucho money to
ship me tapes overnight after the satellite uplink, or sitting around
wondering what might have been, had B5 not been cancelled.
I hope like hell it's the former.
--
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
John Daily jrd...@indyunix.iupui.edu
"Mister, I don't care if you had a personal message from God, complete
with stone tablets." - Jeffrey Sinclair, Commander of Babylon 5
David C. Navas
>OK, here we have some of JMS' comments
>about QoM from CompuServe's SciFi forum...
>SPOILERS appear below.
> Secondarily, it was handled with infinite discretion.
>At NO POINT was anything put verbally. At no point was it
>even linked to sex.
Waittaminute.
[scratches head]
There was a sexual reference in TQoM?
Huh.
And what about those really large remoras attached to Londo -- aren't those
neat? Isn't it cool how people who've seen the pilot would get it and laugh --
sure, Londo wants to be a remora....
[Okay, okay, I give, I really got the sexual reference, but to those whom are
offended, the male Centauri happens to have large remoras attached to it
because of specific pheremones... yeah, that's the ticket.]
--
David Navas ja...@netcom.com
P11 -- your "friend" dna...@us.oracle.com
Minbari: "bonehead" will never mean the same thing again.
Thomas Bagwell
movie or something? It would be very odd to have a 5 year long story end
in a one-hour episode, or even a multi-part episode...
Tom B.
--
tbag...@netcom.com