B5:TLT - Show Discussion Thread (Spoilers)

[GaribaldisHair]

Loved the CGI. B5 remake with the new CGI anyone a la Star Wars? Hell I would! Couldn't take that much man power and budget to redo this.

Given they would have to re-create all the CGI scenes from scratch (they do at least now have some models) I imagine it would take a hell of a lot of both budget and manpower to re-do all 110 episodes.

Not sure if I'd want to fork out £12 or so for only 60 mins of B5 stuff for standalone TLT's though. And more to the point, what was actually 'lost' about these tales? Seems to me to be some we just hadn't heard of YET, but not actually 'lost'? I think JMS should do a mini-series of stories - say 4 - 8 episodes like these. There's loads that wasn't covered in-depth from B5 that could be elaborated on here. A mini-series would also be great to tell the story of Valen as well.

In short, more please!

I figured the name was basically to emphasise the non-connection of these stories with the main arcs of B5 ... in the sense that these smaller, more personal stories get lost as we focus on the major, galaxy-changing narrative.

JMS said from the off that he intended this to be a short story anthology rather than a home for larger works, but clearly the format does give scope for something more substantial to be done - if JMS decides that he wants to do that. Problem is ... if WB insists on green-lighting these things one at a time, JMS may not want to spread a story over more than one disc for fear that WB will not greenlight the conclusion of the story, thus ****ing us fans off once again.

If WB were to say "Right, these things have sold way more than we expected, make us another four to release over a 12 month period." then he could do something.

He may, however, just want to do an anthology series.

 

[mattikake]

Given they would have to re-create all the CGI scenes from scratch (they do at least now have some models) I imagine it would take a hell of a lot of both budget and manpower to re-do all 110 episodes.

Well my thinking is that it won't take an entire production crew. No camera crew, sound, actors, sets, costumes, make-up etc. just mostly editing and CGI. Given that these can be resold to potentially all of the fans on a DVD release, WB could make the same amount of money for a fraction of the production cost. Baring the actual detail, it makes undeniably good business sense, for exactly the same reason as the Star Wars special editions did. I guess they need to wait for the original series to burn itself out first as that would become obsolete overnight.

Stop buying them peeps!

JMS said from the off that he intended this to be a short story anthology rather than a home for larger works, but clearly the format does give scope for something more substantial to be done - if JMS decides that he wants to do that. Problem is ... if WB insists on green-lighting these things one at a time, JMS may not want to spread a story over more than one disc for fear that WB will not greenlight the conclusion of the story, thus ****ing us fans off once again.

You can still get 3-4 hours of screen to a DVD. That's 4 episodes. Point taken though. I thought WB had made good profit on TLT's already that should, in theory, guarantee support?

WB surely can't deny that the single most key feature of B5 was the 5 (or 4!) year story-arc and therefore it's biggest selling point? Having said that, I'm not sure if WB 'got' this though. B5's biggest problem in the UK at least, was that the marketing was utter pants. Nothing was sold of this novel for TV revolution that it was. At best most just saw it as a Star Trek rip-off. You could hold WB entirely responsible for that.

Dunno, how much should I be slagging them on here?!

 

[Sindatur]

Well my thinking is that it won't take an entire production crew. No camera crew, sound, actors, sets, costumes, make-up etc. just mostly editing and CGI. Given that these can be resold to potentially all of the fans on a DVD release, WB could make the same amount of money for a fraction of the production cost. Baring the actual detail, it makes undeniably good business sense, for exactly the same reason as the Star Wars special editions did. I guess they need to wait for the original series to burn itself out first as that would become obsolete overnight.

Stop buying them peeps!



You can still get 3-4 hours of screen to a DVD. That's 4 episodes. Point taken though. I thought WB had made good profit on TLT's already that should, in theory, guarantee support?

WB surely can't deny that the single most key feature of B5 was the 5 (or 4!) year story-arc and therefore it's biggest selling point? Having said that, I'm not sure if WB 'got' this though. B5's biggest problem in the UK at least, was that the marketing was utter pants. Nothing was sold of this novel for TV revolution that it was. At best most just saw it as a Star Trek rip-off. You could hold WB entirely responsible for that.

Dunno, how much should I be slagging them on here?!

WB has a UK channel? Or should you be directing that complaint at the UK channel that purchased the airing rights from WB?

 

[Galahad]

WB has a UK channel? Or should you be directing that complaint at the UK channel that purchased the airing rights from WB?

That would be Channel 4.

They did initially treat it in the same way as BBC treated Trek, putting it on at a week day 6pm tea time slot.

They stuck with the series through and through but messed about with it's time slot. I truly think they didn't know what to do with it.

I never recall seeing any trailers - it was mainly through SF specific magazines that I became aware of when the new seasons were coming out.

Towards the end of season 4, you got a brief clip of that week's episode on the Big Breakfast and by season 5 they had even resorted to putting the program itself on during the Big Breakfast.

I also don't think it ever got repeated. If Channel 4 had got T4 properly up and running during that period... I think it might have fared better, because they would have tagged it on in the slot that used to be occupied by Stargate SG1 and Enterprise (now occupied by Smallville).

 

[A_M_Swallow]

That would be Channel 4.

They did initially treat it in the same way as BBC treated Trek, putting it on at a week day 6pm tea time slot.

{snip}
Towards the end of season 4, you got a brief clip of that week's episode on the Big Breakfast and by season 5 they had even resorted to putting the program itself on during the Big Breakfast.

At mid-day. Even for the Christmas holidays that is late for breakfast.

I also don't think it ever got repeated. If Channel 4 had got T4 properly up and running during that period.

They repeated Babylon 5 and Crusade at 02:00 Monday morning. When everyone was in bed.

 

[Sindatur]

I always got the impression that Per capita, Babylon 5 was more popular in the UK then here in the states. Your population is considerably smaller than ours, yet, your prescence on the message boards seems(seemed) to be only just slightly less than Americans (60/40 or 70/30, it seemed)

 

[Galahad]

Well B5 was syndicated in the US wasn't it?

In the UK it at least was only ever on one channel for it's entire run (despite the time shifting), which helps. In fact apart from Sky and cable channels, there were only 4 terrestrial channels to choose from up until 1997 and that also helped.

 

[KoshN]

Well B5 was syndicated in the US wasn't it?

In the original run of Seasons (Series) 1 through 4, yes.

 

[Galahad]

Ah that's right, the 5th season aired on the antichr....:devil: TNT's channel didn't it? Part of the deal to supposedly get Crusade going.

 

[Jan]

Ah that's right, the 5th season aired on the antichr....:devil: TNT's channel didn't it? Part of the deal to supposedly get Crusade going.

From what JMS wrote in script book #11, TNT was originally only looking for the rerun rights for B5 1-4 until Doug Netter 'tutsi-friutsied' (long story-it's in the book) them and started the idea of season 5 and then Crusade in their minds.

Jan

 

[Elenopa]

I also don't think it ever got repeated. If Channel 4 had got T4 properly up and running during that period... I think it might have fared better, because they would have tagged it on in the slot that used to be occupied by Stargate SG1 and Enterprise (now occupied by Smallville).

Oh please no!!!!!!

If B5 had been on T4, it would have been cut to shreds! Smallville is has very obvious cuts in just about every episode. It is very annoying when the action suddenly jumps by five seconds.

 

[Galahad]

Fair point... seeing as they bumbed TKO to 11pm as a halloween special because it was "too violent".

LOL

 

[Sindatur]

Fair point... seeing as they bumbed TKO to 11pm as a halloween special because it was "too violent".

LOL

Boy you guys in the UK are all backwards. Topless news is OK, but, you shuttle violence off into the middle of the night?

 

[crazyhorse]

Topless news is ok and if they've started doing that in the UK I might move back :devil:

I can't even remember it being on later.The watershed is 9pm so there was no reason for it to be on so late anyway apart from the schedule.

 

[GaribaldisHair]

Yeah, criticism of B5's marketing in the UK has to be laid at the floor of Channel 4. Once a station has bought rights to the show it is up to them (not the studio that made it to publicise it). The only trailer I ever saw was late one night (and I mean late) just prior to S4.

When C4 started to show Dark Skies on Monday at 10, I always felt that would have been a good slot for B5 but, to be fair, there wasn't an awful lot in S1 and 2 to indicate that a consistent 10pm slot was be warranted, although they did make small cuts along the way (and shunt TKO to a late night slot).

With S4 being more intense, and with the fans concerned about it being cut to ribbons to be shown in early evening, C4 decided to show it uncut at 10:40pm.

Season 5 then made its way to lunchtime on Sunday, with the exception of the last 5 episodes which were shown Monday to Friday between Christmas and New Year 1998 at around 9:30 in the morning (which is certainly breakfast-time in our house over Christmas).

 

[garak0410]

Just finished watching. The second one was much better than the 1st. THe only sucky thing.......there's like 8 people in these movies. Hardly any extras walking around or any props on the sets. You can tell they had no money.

By the way - Best Buy includes a B5 comic book in the package. It's of Dr. Franklin and G'kar.

That was really my only complaint...it felt so empty...heck, I am sure there a lot of fans out there who would love to be an extra. Let's rebuild the Zocalo and fill it up!

 

[garak0410]

All in all, I really hope this DVD sells well and we get many, many more! I particularly want another Londo story and would love more of Kosh. I'm so glad to be able to take a trip back to one of my favorite shows.
Thanks JMS!

I am all for a good Londo story too...I'd like to see more if his battle of the wills with his Keeper...and maybe some about the keeper he gave to Delenn and Sheridan.

 

[KoshN]

I am all for a good Londo story too...I'd like to see more if his battle of the wills with his Keeper...and maybe some about the keeper he gave to Delenn and Sheridan.

Londo and Vir

or

Londo and Timov.

 

[crazyhorse]

Or Londo with his wives for a 18+ :devil:

 

[KoshN]

Or Londo with his wives for a 18+ :devil:

We won't have the technology to make that believable until ~2267.