Jade Jaguar
Regular
POLARIS
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Big B5 update from jms!!!
- Thread starter Alpha1
- Start date
POLARIS
vacantlook
Super Moderator
I've been having quite significant phoneline troubles over the past couple of months that have prevented me from being able to get online, but I finally got to return to the 'net today. And hearing that there's something B5'ish in the works is a great bit of news to come back and read.
Babylon 5 Endures!
Babylon 5 Endures!
A_M_Swallow
Regular
"World on Fire"
What Lyta did next.
The space journey of G'Kar.
Avanova's Warlock War.
Sheridan and Delenn in West (Spaceship) Wing.
Telepath War as film/mini-series.
A 'Big Hand' for the Rangers
KoshFan
Regular
The B5 universe is huge, and has lots of areas to play in. Didn't JMS once say he had 100 years on either side of 2260 mapped out? Not to mention the long-distance future.
I can't imagine the far future being adopted for any project. But then, aside from the things mentioned, I'm not sure what JMS could be up to. I'm betting on either Telepath War movie/miniseries or something totally new.
I can't imagine the far future being adopted for any project. But then, aside from the things mentioned, I'm not sure what JMS could be up to. I'm betting on either Telepath War movie/miniseries or something totally new.
KoshN
Super Moderator
Since nobody has said it yet:
WB those frelling double-dipping bastards!
What, just because they didn't do a better job on The Gathering/In the Beginning earlier? Other studios have done worse re. double dipping.
Well, on that last part, we DEFINITELY AGREE! That's the only one I'm not buying.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Actually, what JMS said was:
His reference to "the nets" leads me to believe his comments were not limited to the moderated newsgroup. For one thing, the newsgroup is moderated - which means that story ideas are usually filtered out or deleted almost as soon as they appear. It is one of the safest venues on the 'net for JMS, and therefore the only one he participates in these days. But it isn't just JMS who needs to be projected. If a fan speculates on the upcoming project and comes anywhere near the truth in a venue that a Warner Bros. employee might read - which means pretty much anywhere on the 'net - the studio is open to a potentially costly plaigarism lawsuit. Even if the studio wins (as they most likely would) the project could be delayed and the studio would certainly be out tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. In the U.S. there is no "loser pays" rule for civil suits. If something like that is out there and WB becomes aware of it they might scuttle (or make JMS change) whatever project they're talking about simply in order to avoid a lawsuit.
So I would prefer to err on the side of caution. I don't think anything in this thread so far has crossed the line into story ideas, however. The business about when the Teep War starts, and when the IA intervenes, just indicates the story constraints on the user of G'Kar in the Teep War period, without suggesting story points. The dates are based on previously published material including the Psi Corps trilogy, some of the short stories and JMS's own usenet posts.
Regards,
Joe
His reference to "the nets" leads me to believe his comments were not limited to the moderated newsgroup. For one thing, the newsgroup is moderated - which means that story ideas are usually filtered out or deleted almost as soon as they appear. It is one of the safest venues on the 'net for JMS, and therefore the only one he participates in these days. But it isn't just JMS who needs to be projected. If a fan speculates on the upcoming project and comes anywhere near the truth in a venue that a Warner Bros. employee might read - which means pretty much anywhere on the 'net - the studio is open to a potentially costly plaigarism lawsuit. Even if the studio wins (as they most likely would) the project could be delayed and the studio would certainly be out tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. In the U.S. there is no "loser pays" rule for civil suits. If something like that is out there and WB becomes aware of it they might scuttle (or make JMS change) whatever project they're talking about simply in order to avoid a lawsuit.
So I would prefer to err on the side of caution. I don't think anything in this thread so far has crossed the line into story ideas, however. The business about when the Teep War starts, and when the IA intervenes, just indicates the story constraints on the user of G'Kar in the Teep War period, without suggesting story points. The dates are based on previously published material including the Psi Corps trilogy, some of the short stories and JMS's own usenet posts.
Regards,
Joe
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
"World on Fire"
Not a B5 project. (Nor is Polaris AFAIK, since Channe raised the question. I'm pretty sure I remember JMS saying that it was definitely not B5-related.)
What Lyta did next
After what? After she left B5? If so then the answer is the same as that for your next question... After the teep war? Not much.
The space journey of G'Kar
With Lyta. I don't really see how this would appeal to anyone other than hard-core B5 fans, and such appeal is a requirement for any new project. Heck, it wouldn't even appeal to hard-core fans who prefer Delenn or Sheridan or Londo.
Avanova's Warlock War
Who? What war? What we know from the short story suggests that this thread would have been dealt with in Crusade over a season or more. Not sure more than a tiny piece of the story could be told in the kind of project JMS has mentioned. And I don't recall any discussion of such a "war" in the short stories, "Deconstruction" or any other place where we got a glimpse of future events.
Sheridan and Delenn in West (Spaceship) Wing
Possible for a TV movie
Telepath War as film/mini-series
Possible
A 'Big Hand' for the Rangers
Possible for a TVM? Maybe. Likely given the fate of Rangers? Don't think so.
And JMS has ruled out a new series.
Regards,
Joe
Not a B5 project. (Nor is Polaris AFAIK, since Channe raised the question. I'm pretty sure I remember JMS saying that it was definitely not B5-related.)
What Lyta did next
After what? After she left B5? If so then the answer is the same as that for your next question... After the teep war? Not much.
The space journey of G'Kar
With Lyta. I don't really see how this would appeal to anyone other than hard-core B5 fans, and such appeal is a requirement for any new project. Heck, it wouldn't even appeal to hard-core fans who prefer Delenn or Sheridan or Londo.
Avanova's Warlock War
Who?
What war? What we know from the short story suggests that this thread would have been dealt with in Crusade over a season or more. Not sure more than a tiny piece of the story could be told in the kind of project JMS has mentioned. And I don't recall any discussion of such a "war" in the short stories, "Deconstruction" or any other place where we got a glimpse of future events. Sheridan and Delenn in West (Spaceship) Wing
Possible for a TV movie
Telepath War as film/mini-series
Possible
A 'Big Hand' for the Rangers
Possible for a TVM? Maybe. Likely given the fate of Rangers? Don't think so.
And JMS has ruled out a new series.
Regards,
Joe
A_M_Swallow
Regular
The magazine story "Nautilus Coil" sets everything up for Lyta to be cloned.What Lyta did next
After what? After she left B5? If so then the answer is the same as that for your next question... After the teep war? Not much.
He is not doing anything after the teep war.
Avanova's Warlock War
Who?
If Ivanova is not involved in some sort of war, possibly with the Drahk creating the Warlock class of ships is a bit of a waste.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
The magazine story "Nautilus Coil" sets everything up for Lyta to be cloned.
1. I disagree. 2. A clone of Lyta wouldn't be Lyta. It wouldn't have her memories, her personality, it probably wouldn't have most of her Vorlon-ehnchancements. And it wouldn't have any dramatic reason for existing in the story. I can't see JMS going anywhere near such a cliched idea.
He is not doing anything after the teep war.
G'Kar does lots of stuff after the Teep War (see the Rangers pilot, the novels, and the short stories.) What he isn't doing is wandering around deep space "finding himself" - because he'd already done that before the Teep War. So there is no "space journey" for anyone to do a story about aside from his travels with Lyta.
If Ivanova is not involved in some sort of war, possibly with the Drahk creating the Warlock class of ships is a bit of a waste.
Why does it have to be a war? She and her ship could certainly be involved in combat short of war. (Or was there a war on that someone forgot to tell me about every time the Enterprise fired its phasers through three incarnations of Star Trek?) As I noted above that story was probably written as and when it was to tie in with Crusade. Gideon and Co. were going to eventually have to deal head on with the secret EA projects and he'd need help. Sheridan's knowledge of Warlock would make him easier for Gideon to enlist, and JMS may even have been looking forward to a guest appearance by Ivanova on Crusade. He'd need an ally in EarthForce once he went rogue, and Lochley might be too obvious a choice if word of their personal relationship got out. Even without bringing Ivanova on-screen they could have mentioned her as a source of information and kept the character and the ties to B5 alive in the audience's minds, much as references to Sinclair and to General Hague did in episodes where they didn't appear.
Delenn only speaks of one Drakh War in "Rising Star" and we know that the IA fought a war against the Drakh after the liberation of Centauri Prime. Given that this is post-Crusade by about 6 years it seems probable that the ShadowTech issue within EarthForce would have been dealt with long before the Drakh War. Ivanova and Warlock may well have been involved in that clean-up, along with Excalibur, but by the time the Drakh War comes around in 2278 she is probably already a general, long since removed from command of any individual vessel, and EF has probably replaced or sanitized the Warlock-class ships.
Regards,
Joe
1. I disagree. 2. A clone of Lyta wouldn't be Lyta. It wouldn't have her memories, her personality, it probably wouldn't have most of her Vorlon-ehnchancements. And it wouldn't have any dramatic reason for existing in the story. I can't see JMS going anywhere near such a cliched idea.
He is not doing anything after the teep war.
G'Kar does lots of stuff after the Teep War (see the Rangers pilot, the novels, and the short stories.) What he isn't doing is wandering around deep space "finding himself" - because he'd already done that before the Teep War. So there is no "space journey" for anyone to do a story about aside from his travels with Lyta.
If Ivanova is not involved in some sort of war, possibly with the Drahk creating the Warlock class of ships is a bit of a waste.
Why does it have to be a war? She and her ship could certainly be involved in combat short of war. (Or was there a war on that someone forgot to tell me about every time the Enterprise fired its phasers through three incarnations of Star Trek?) As I noted above that story was probably written as and when it was to tie in with Crusade. Gideon and Co. were going to eventually have to deal head on with the secret EA projects and he'd need help. Sheridan's knowledge of Warlock would make him easier for Gideon to enlist, and JMS may even have been looking forward to a guest appearance by Ivanova on Crusade. He'd need an ally in EarthForce once he went rogue, and Lochley might be too obvious a choice if word of their personal relationship got out. Even without bringing Ivanova on-screen they could have mentioned her as a source of information and kept the character and the ties to B5 alive in the audience's minds, much as references to Sinclair and to General Hague did in episodes where they didn't appear.
Delenn only speaks of one Drakh War in "Rising Star" and we know that the IA fought a war against the Drakh after the liberation of Centauri Prime. Given that this is post-Crusade by about 6 years it seems probable that the ShadowTech issue within EarthForce would have been dealt with long before the Drakh War. Ivanova and Warlock may well have been involved in that clean-up, along with Excalibur, but by the time the Drakh War comes around in 2278 she is probably already a general, long since removed from command of any individual vessel, and EF has probably replaced or sanitized the Warlock-class ships.
Regards,
Joe
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Actually he said he had things plotted out in some detail for a thousand years on either side of the main B5 story, and in rough outline for a million years in both directions. It doesn't all go into the story, but sometimes the writer has to know this kind of stuff in order to write what does show up. (Rowling mentioned working up similar reams of background adn "reference" materials for the Potter books, while the Tolkein estate found itself with so much material that they've created an entire industry devoted to publishing every note, scrap of paper and idea that J.R.R. ever jotted down on the back of a napkin - and it is still going strong almost 30 years after the Silmarillion became the first of his "lost works" to see the light of day.
Regards,
Joe
KoshFan
Regular
I always thought that the Drakh War was what we saw in "A Call to Arms." Although I admit that was more battle than war, the cleanup after the Drakh were driven off Centauri Prime wouldn't be much more of a fight.
*spoilers for Centauri Prime trilogy*
Vir and the Legions of Fire killed lots of the Drakh, and the rest had to vacate. After sustaining serious losses and without a major base, the Drakh would be in no real shape to survive an IA offensive. As I understand it, ten Whitestars could have polished the Drakh off in a month after Vir forced them off CP. So it would be more of a quick mop-up operation than a war.
*spoilers for Centauri Prime trilogy*
Vir and the Legions of Fire killed lots of the Drakh, and the rest had to vacate. After sustaining serious losses and without a major base, the Drakh would be in no real shape to survive an IA offensive. As I understand it, ten Whitestars could have polished the Drakh off in a month after Vir forced them off CP. So it would be more of a quick mop-up operation than a war.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
As you say, what happened in ACtA was more a battle than a war - really more a raid (in force) than a battle.
My reading of the Centauri Trilogy was that after nearly 20 years occupying Centauri space the Drakh had many bases on many Centauri colonies - and that it was going to take a real (albeit short and sharp) war for the Centauri, with help from the IA, to beat the Drakh once and for all.
Regards,
Joe
My reading of the Centauri Trilogy was that after nearly 20 years occupying Centauri space the Drakh had many bases on many Centauri colonies - and that it was going to take a real (albeit short and sharp) war for the Centauri, with help from the IA, to beat the Drakh once and for all.
Regards,
Joe
vacantlook
Super Moderator
While on the thought of wars, I've always been intrigued by how little we know about the Dilgar War.
Elenopa
Regular
Just checked out the BBC Cult website and jms gets a mention. According to the Beeb, he's working on a new B5 series.
Considering that they have bits of the messages that have already been posted here, I am assuming that they are reading an awful lot into them.
It's good to see B5 mentioned though.
Considering that they have bits of the messages that have already been posted here, I am assuming that they are reading an awful lot into them.
It's good to see B5 mentioned though.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Just checked out the BBC Cult website and jms gets a mention. According to the Beeb, he's working on a new B5 series.
FARK.com had an item headlined "B5 to return to TV" or some such. (It has since been changed.) This linked to a Sci-Fi Wire story headlined "B5 to return?", which paraphrased a Dark Horizons story that quoted JMS's "eep!" post. It sounds like Auntie Beeb is at the far end of this particular game of "telephone" and has the information scrambled - with each link in the chain adding its own little error and less and less fact in each interation.
Regards,
Joe
FARK.com had an item headlined "B5 to return to TV" or some such. (It has since been changed.) This linked to a Sci-Fi Wire story headlined "B5 to return?", which paraphrased a Dark Horizons story that quoted JMS's "eep!" post. It sounds like Auntie Beeb is at the far end of this particular game of "telephone" and has the information scrambled - with each link in the chain adding its own little error and less and less fact in each interation.
Regards,
Joe
DaRkEnEdStAr
Regular
well contrary to jms`s wishes we seem to be analyzing which form this new Babylon 5 project will take , So I may as well join in . If this project is about the telepath war (I am not suggesting that it is) A movie would not be enough for me , As I don’t think you can write a "crisis" in an hour and a half of film . I would hope for a small mini series, Maybe 5 or 6 episodes at 40 mins long approx... Even the centauri conflict would not be enough for 1 movie . So maybe it will be something we will not expect... Something new? I don’t know I just have a few issues with the fact that it will be about what we have suggested .
. If this project is about the telepath war (I am not suggesting that it is) A movie would not be enough for me , As I don’t think you can write a "crisis" in an hour and a half of film . I would hope for a small mini series, Maybe 5 or 6 episodes at 40 mins long approx... Even the centauri conflict would not be enough for 1 movie . So maybe it will be something we will not expect... Something new? I don’t know I just have a few issues with the fact that it will be about what we have suggested .The Juche Warrior
Regular
Well, I guess that explains the whole "Purple monkey dishwasher" remark at the end of the story.
Sorry, back to the discussion.
