Babylon 5 Manifesto

[josh3dmaker]

Ok, I know that Harlan Ellison wrote a "Babylon 5 Manifesto" that was supposed to be a list of what good Science Fiction should be.

Does anyone no where I could find a transcript of it?

josh

------------------

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I don't think it has ever been made public, at least I can't find anything to indicate that it has after a fairly extensive Google search.

This is from the FAQ of a Harlan Ellison website:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>2.5) Can I have a copy of the "Manifesto" for Babylon 5?

I don't have this manifesto, and Harlan has never offered it to me for publication or dissemination of any type. The same applies to any OTHER "manifesto" you may have heard of.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

While the show was in production JMS also said that the "manifesto" was not being made available.

Regards,

Joe

------------------
Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

 

[josh3dmaker]

Yah, I cant find it anywhere. And here is the weird thing at: http://www.midwinter.com/b5/ellison.txt

JMS says:
"This will be a manifesto about what we want the movie and the series to do...
It will be, we hope, the kind of document that will be handed around, reprinted, and used by a lot of different shows to help make all science fiction on television more intelligent and less cliche' ridden."

If this is the case why cant I find it anywhere?

Did JMS or Harlan Ellison change their mind about the manifesto?

------------------

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Did JMS or Harlan Ellison change their mind about the manifesto?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

JMS wrote that before the thing was even written, and as far as I can tell, its never been released to the public in any form. So I'd say the answer to your question is, "yes."

Regards,

Joe

------------------
Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

 

[Ivanova]

Wow, what a lovely thing that would have been to have seen.

Like, on mind-blowing proportions.

------------------
Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out.

 

[josh3dmaker]

Sigh... think of all the bad sci-fi we could all be spared from if this thing was made public.

I wonder what could have changed JMS's mind, after all, he is normally so open to the online community.

Maybe we should put wanted pictures up on milk cartons...

------------------

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I wonder what could have changed JMS's mind, after all, he is normally so open to the online community.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I suspect that Harlan wrote most of it, so it was probably his call. And he loathes the internet.

Besides, he probably figured that most "sf" producers wouldn't read it. And that those who might read it should probably pay him for it. After all, he was paid a fee for acting as Creative Consultant on B5 (although probably not a very big one.) Why should he give the fruits of his labor away to other TV producers for free, especially those that had messed him over in various deals down through the years?

Regards,

Joe

------------------
Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

 

[GKarsEye]

I find it ironic that a science fiction author hates the internet. Unless he's one of those doom and gloom writers, you know, with stories about how technology will dominate us and robots will enslave us, etc. I've never read any of his work, so I don't know.

------------------
"You do not make history. You can only hope to survive it."

 

[bakana]

In Harlan's case, I suspect it's not so much "hates the internet" as Hates the HYPE.

Harlan's writing has always shown a sensitivity to overblown hype no matter What it was being appied to.
And, since the Internet has set new records for overblown hype, it follows that Harlan might have an opinion.

Harlan has never been one to be shy about expressing his opinions.

------------------
Do not ascribe your own motivations to others:
At best, it will break your heart.
At worst, it will get you dead."

 

[Quagmire]

I think part of it is he finds no need to use it and believes that other useful methods are being abandoned simply because they aren't new. Like the people who will use the internet or a word processor to find out how to spell a word even though picking up a dictionary is quicker and more effective.

------------------
"Crying isn't gonna get your dog back. Unless your tears smell like dog food. So you can sit here eating can after can of dog food until your tears smell like dog food or you can go out there and find your dog."-Homer in The Canine Mutiny