Thoughts on the Technomage Trilogy

[KoshFan]

Interesting, but....

[here be spoilers]



To my mind, the books undermine the B5 story as a whole by explaining too much. There's a reason why the Shadow/Kosh battle was so blurry and vague: uncertainty strengthened it. Seeing the underpinnings of the story can be interesting, but to my mind some things are best left unexplained. That way each member of the audience can appreciate it in a unique, personal way.

Also, and most annoying to my mind, is the Z'ha'dum sequence. It essentially takes Sheridan's story and makes it into Sheridan-and-Galen's story. The point of that story, the beauty of it to my mind, is that Sheridan walked into the trap alone and aware. Of course Kosh was with him, but the two are intimately connected, far more so than Sheridan and Galen. It was cool to have Wierden there, but Z'ha'dum was Sheridan's great moment. Having Galen running around helping out splits the focus.

Comments?

 

[raisincajuns]

But I really don't think Galen helped him all that much and in the end Galen didn't save him. I think it wasn't so much making it a story about Galen and Sheridan as it was just showing the time line and that he was there at the sametime as Sheridan was....All in all I liked the technomage series and it made me wish even more that Crusade was still going so we could get even more in depth about Galen and how his finally being able to bond with his tech would play out.

 

[galenskid]

All in all I liked the technomage series and it made me wish even more that Crusade was still going so we could get even more in depth about Galen and how his finally being able to bond with his tech would play out.

Same here
But the way I felt when I was reading the Zhadum part,I felt that Galen actually destroyed Zhadum and Sheriden took all the credit... oh well,that's how I feel

 

[Londos6]

While I found it an interesting read, I don't think this trilogy is considered to be canon, so, I take it with a grain of salt and still consider the Z'ha'dum story to be the one I see when watching the episode. Anything else detracts from it.

 

[A_M_Swallow]

It was Galen telling Sheridan about the Shadows surrounding the refugees that was unnecessary. What Galen should have done is told the Vorlons that Sheridan can create unexpected windows in chaos that order can exploit. This would have primed the Vorlons for their total change in strategy.

 

[KoshN]

While I found it an interesting read, I don't think this trilogy is considered to be canon, ...

Actually, it is considered to be canon., or at least 90% canon (i.e. canon in all the major points). JMS read it and didn't object.

 

[Derian]

While I found it an interesting read, I don't think this trilogy is considered to be canon, ...

Actually, it is considered to be canon., or at least 90% canon (i.e. canon in all the major points). JMS read it and didn't object.

In fact, I do believe he called it more accurate than any of the other trilogies to date. He, himself, had a huge outline of how the trilogy was supposed to unfold. I'm sure something like the goings on at Z'Ha'Dum wouldn't have been overlooked in such an outline.

Logically, though, it just makes sense that something had to happen for the whitestar to be able to come crashing down like it did, so why not Galen's "assistance"? I mean, c'mon, this is a planet that no one can even get near unless the Shadows will it, so to think that Sheridan could just bring the whitestar carshing down into their capitol city without anyone noticing and without any outside help is a bit absurd.

 

[Londos6]

[Actually, it is considered to be canon., or at least 90% canon (i.e. canon in all the major points). JMS read it and didn't object.

Thanks KoshN, I didn't know that. It's also been a while since I read it.

 

[KoshN]

While I found it an interesting read, I don't think this trilogy is considered to be canon, ...

Actually, it is considered to be canon., or at least 90% canon (i.e. canon in all the major points). JMS read it and didn't object.

In fact, I do believe he called it more accurate than any of the other trilogies to date. He, himself, had a huge outline of how the trilogy was supposed to unfold.

I suppose it depends on whether you'd call 30 pages "huge."

I'm sure something like the goings on at Z'Ha'Dum wouldn't have been overlooked in such an outline.

I think that's a fair thing to say.

 

[KoshN]

[Actually, it is considered to be canon., or at least 90% canon (i.e. canon in all the major points). JMS read it and didn't object.

Thanks KoshN, I didn't know that.

I think the outline being 30 pages per trilogy. If I remember, I'll do a search on JMSNews.com to check.

It's also been a while since I read it.

Same here. It's been over a year since I finished it.

 

[GaribaldisHair]

I suppose it depends on whether you'd call 30 pages "huge."

From what (little) I have read on the subject, I was under the impression that book "outlines" normally ran to no more than 2 or 3 pages, so in that context 30 pages for the trilogy might be considered "huge".

My understanding is that an outline is generally nothing more complicated than a list of bullet points for stuff that is going to happen, so 10 pages of bullet points per book would be quote a lot of info for the actual author to get to grips with.

[If I have this staggeringly incorrect, I am sure there are writers on here who can put me straight.]

 

[havh]

The Shadows allowed Sheridan to come quite near the planet while most defences would probably be set up to take the ships from distance. I don't remember how long it took for the White Star to come crashing down to the planet, but 15 seconds would probably not be enough responce time for the defence system of the planet to react.
That's why I find it acutally quite annoying that they had Galen helping him in this aspect.

Regards
Dori

 

[is/alliance]

Hi.I thought the books were great.The
Tech the Mages use, turns out to be Shadow tech!
, I rated it as the BEST
of the trilogy novels.Finding out about the Mages order was great.I thought it complimented B5 well.Colin.

 

[raisincajuns]

GH -- While I don't know if it is true for most authors...but I am trying to write a book my outline at this point is about 5 pages long and I am maybe a quarter through what would be the main ideas for the book...I am mainly doing about a page per chapter and trying to get the main ideas and certain little details that I want to make sure I get into the book -- of course this is my first attempt so I could be doing it all wrong LOL

 

[KoshFan]

30 pages for an outline is a bit long for me, but I sometimes feel that my outlines aren't detailed enough. I guess it depends on the author in question.

Actually, Galen getting the White Star through was the least annoying. Feeding Sheridan hints was annoying; the man does have a brain, after all! Also, the worst bit for me was when Galen briefly talks to Sheridan on Z'ha'dum. That ruins the loneliness of Sheridan's position.

Also, only the fact that Morden and Galen didn't actually die saved the Lorien bit. The way I figure it, Lorien has already had his lengthy discussion with Sheridan and is simply working on bringing Sheridan back from the dead at this point. In other words, Galen is Lorien's first project after Sheridan brings him into the fight.

But by and large, I think that Galen was simply too close to the main action of the series. If he was doing more somewhere else, off B5, not ever intersecting with Sheridan, it would be all right.

 

[PillowRock]

but 15 seconds would probably not be enough responce time for the defence system of the planet to react.

Actually, I thought just the opposite. Given how paranoid the Shadows are about everything vaguely Vorlon related and the fact that the White Star is partly Vorlon technology, I would expect the White Star to have been *constantly* both monitored and targeted. I would expect 2 seconds to be much longer than the White Star would survive an unexpected change in course, especially toward the planet.

 

[Derian]

but 15 seconds would probably not be enough responce time for the defence system of the planet to react.

Actually, I thought just the opposite. Given how paranoid the Shadows are about everything vaguely Vorlon related and the fact that the White Star is partly Vorlon technology, I would expect the White Star to have been *constantly* both monitored and targeted. I would expect 2 seconds to much longer than the White Star would survive an unexpected change in course, especially toward the planet.

That's pretty much what I had figured.

I thought that the outline for the trilogy was longer than that...

 

[Quagmire]

Overall I liked it but I too was annoyed with Galen intersecting with the B5 plot and taking away from Sheridan. I always thought that the Eye was there main defence. If a lesser race came by it talks to them as in their father's voice and politely asks them to land for milk and cookies. That is why it was so important for Morden to learn from Londo of the Narn expedition to Z'ha'dum, so they could have ships waiting for them.

Having Galen speak to John at Z'ha'dum and let him in on the Shadows corral plan just seemed unnecessary screwing with the show.

The worst though was how blowing up one of the ships the mages were on just outside B5 completly contradicted the show.

 

[QMCO5]

In general I have to agree. I think the questions about how Sheridan succeeded in his White Star attack can be resolved by information provided in the episode and Galen's intervention was unnecessary. Don't get me wrong. I like the overall story of Galen; it's great on its own. But, I agree that it was unnecessary to resolve some supposed inconsistencies in the Z'hadum episode that only exist in the minds of JMS critics.

Also, I noticed that the ending of the episode "Geometry of Shadows" simply does not support the chronology of the same story in the Technomage book. In the novel a ship blows up just before the other transport goes through the jump gate and you wouldn't have Sheridan musing over a flower two seconds later while he would be ostensibly scrambling an investigation team. Track the dialog and sequence between the two and you'll see what I mean. (The whole premise of having to sacrifice a ship of technomages is a bit farfetched to me, anyway.)

Thanks for bringing this up. Good points.

QMCO5

 

[KoshN]

Overall I always thought that the Eye was there main defense. If a lesser race came by it talks to them as in their father's voice and politely asks them to land for milk and cookies. That is why it was so important for Morden to learn from Londo of the Narn expedition to Z'ha'dum, so they could have ships waiting for them.

So, why wouldn't the Narns have been lulled into landing, and becoming raw material for Technomage Chrysalises or Mage Implants? I can just see it now:

G'Kar: What happened to the ship?

Kha'Ri Attache: It just disappeared. We've found no trace of it or the crew.

The worst though was how blowing up one of the ships the mages were on just outside B5 completely contradicted the show.

Here's what Jeanne had to say about it:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeanne Cavelos"
Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2002 8:30 AM
Subject: Re: Technomage Trilogy - nitpick (Spoilers) and The Geometry of Shadows


> Hi. I'm under huge deadline pressure right now, so must answer
> quickly. But there is no continuity error, and the answer is
> very clear at the end of Book 2. Anyone who is confused should
> go back and read that. Sheridan *believes* that the Ondavi is
> just a decoy and contains only a handful of mages--possibly only
> one, Ing-Radi, with the rest being illusions. He knows Elric
> intends to go onto the Ondavi and sacrifice himself along with
> Ing-Radi. Ing-Radi convinces Sheridan that Elric doesn't need to
> sacrifice himself, and that he's needed to help lead the mages,
> most of whom are escaping on the Crystal Cabin. So Sheridan
> arranges to save Elric and get him on board the Crystal Cabin.
> Sheridan sees the Ondavi explode, but believes, as I said, that
> there were only a couple mages on board, and that most have
> escaped safely on the Crystal Cabin, to continue on their journey
> beyond the rim. He *never* believed that all the mages blew up,
> because Ing-Radi clued him into their plans. Only Morden and the
> Shadows were deceived. Hence, no inaccuracy.
>
> Okay? Must get back to work.
>
> Jeanne

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeanne Cavelos"
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 8:49 AM
Subject: Re: Technomage Trilogy - nitpick (Spoilers) and The Geometry of Shadows


> Mac,
>
> Hi. Well, here's a quick answer, though you didn't ask for it.
> I suppose I can give you a longer one later, though I don't think
> there's too much to say.
>
> I assumed a passage of time between the explosion of the Ondavi
> and the Crystal Cabin's jump through the gate. In the book, all
> you know is that, after the explosion, the Crystal Cabin is
> maneuvering around the wreckage, and then we leave Elric's POV.
> I assume that if a ship explodes, they're going to stop
> everything for at least a few minutes before resuming normal
> traffic and jumps. So the Crystal Cabin will have to wait before
> jumping, giving Sheridan time to react to the explosion, along
> with the rest of the C&C crew, Londo, Vir, etc. Then the Crystal
> Cabin makes the jump and Sheridan goes into that speech at the
> end of TGOS. Clearly, this is a passage of time that isn't shown
> in the episode. Similarly, I inserted many things in the book
> that weren't in the episode. If people aren't willing to allow
> that things happened on B5 that weren't shown in the episode,
> then they obviously aren't going to like my book, but I thought
> that using that technique made the book a lot more interesting
> than it would otherwise be (and also more true to the
> techno-mages and their deceptive natures). Since I never show
> Sheridan's speech in the book, it's never established how much
> time passes between the explosion and the Crystal Cabin's
> departure. Each reader can make it what he wants.
>
> Jeanne

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeanne Cavelos"
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 1:27 PM
Subject: Re: Technomage Trilogy - nitpick (Spoilers) and The Geometry of Shadows


> Hi. Sure, you can use what you think appropriate. I guess one
> part in there might sound a little snotty, which I didn't intend.
> Somehow e-mail tends to take on that tone whether you intend it
> or not.
>
> I suppose that in the book I could have had some announcement
> over the loudspeaker on the Crystal Cabin that their jump would
> be delayed by an hour . . . I guess I just figured people could
> insert that on their own, and I didn't want to break the mood.
>
> Nice "talking" with you.
>
> Jeanne