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From jmsnews
[quote]
From: [email]jmsatb5@aol.com[/email]
Subject: Re: Is B5 dead?
To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Date: 5/25/2005 11:24:08 PM
"Are we now reduced to hoping for a book once or twice a decade? Is
there any reason to have hope for more of what we love so much?
Is Babylon 5, as we know it....dead?"
This question comes up periodically, and I'll give it pretty much the
same answer that I always give...that there is a difference between
*dead* and *complete*.
If a novelist writes a book, and he doesn't write five more books in
that universe, with those characters, is the book dead? Or completed?
When I embarked on B5, I wasn't out to create a franchise, wasn't
looking to springboard this out into a zillion other projects...I
resisted merchandising, and made it clear to all parties that this
would be five seasons, no more. Because that's I figured it would take
me to tell that story. The only thing I asked of the universe was that
I be able to tell the story to its end, and that I not die before
finishing it. That's all.
And somehow, both happened...and I'm happy with that.
I've said it a hundred times before...if something happens to come up
in the B5 universe that's fun to tell, and someone wants to provide a
venue, great...if not, also great. I told the story that I wanted,
needed to tell. When Zack says, in SiL, "We did what we said we were
gonna do, and nobody can ever take that away from us," that was the
author speaking through him.
What I set out to do with that show, I did, and nobody can ever take
that away. I told the story I wanted to tell. Everything else is
lagniappe.
jms
[/quote]
From: [email]jmsatb5@aol.com[/email]
Subject: Re: Is B5 dead?
To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Date: 5/25/2005 11:24:08 PM
"Are we now reduced to hoping for a book once or twice a decade? Is
there any reason to have hope for more of what we love so much?
Is Babylon 5, as we know it....dead?"
This question comes up periodically, and I'll give it pretty much the
same answer that I always give...that there is a difference between
*dead* and *complete*.
If a novelist writes a book, and he doesn't write five more books in
that universe, with those characters, is the book dead? Or completed?
When I embarked on B5, I wasn't out to create a franchise, wasn't
looking to springboard this out into a zillion other projects...I
resisted merchandising, and made it clear to all parties that this
would be five seasons, no more. Because that's I figured it would take
me to tell that story. The only thing I asked of the universe was that
I be able to tell the story to its end, and that I not die before
finishing it. That's all.
And somehow, both happened...and I'm happy with that.
I've said it a hundred times before...if something happens to come up
in the B5 universe that's fun to tell, and someone wants to provide a
venue, great...if not, also great. I told the story that I wanted,
needed to tell. When Zack says, in SiL, "We did what we said we were
gonna do, and nobody can ever take that away from us," that was the
author speaking through him.
What I set out to do with that show, I did, and nobody can ever take
that away. I told the story I wanted to tell. Everything else is
lagniappe.
jms
[/quote]
Comments
Just like George Lucas he's spending time on projects that are important to him and it's unfortunate for the fans of his other works, in this case Star Wars and in JMS's case it's Babylon 5.
At least we got a 5 season long series out of it (and Crusade) and not "just" a few movies and books.
I'm not sure what his problem with franchising is though... since when was that a bad thing? Ok, so I don't understand the link between Pringles potatoe chips and Star Wars either, but having more people know about and watch his show isn't a bad thing or is it?
Right now he's just delaying the inevitable and that's more Babylon 5 shows/movies. So far JMS hasn't done any movies for the big screen and that is odd. I wonder why?
I guess there is any number of storys to tell within JMS' "B5 timeline".
[B]I'm not sure what his problem with franchising is though... since when was that a bad thing? Ok, so I don't understand the link between Pringles potatoe chips and Star Wars either, but having more people know about and watch his show isn't a bad thing or is it?[/b][/quote]
You haven't seen much recent Star Trek, have you?
[quote][b]Right now he's just delaying the inevitable and that's more Babylon 5 shows/movies. So far JMS hasn't done any movies for the big screen and that is odd. I wonder why? [/B][/QUOTE]
Well, as you may or may not recall, there was TMoS just a couple of months ago. We saw how that ended up.
[B]You haven't seen much recent Star Trek, have you?[/B][/QUOTE]
You are correct, I haven't. I stopped watching after the second season of Enterprise. I'd love to see JMS involved in Trek or Wars for that matter.
[QUOTE]
[B]Well, as you may or may not recall, there was TMoS just a couple of months ago. We saw how that ended up. [/B][/QUOTE]
That still doesn't explain JMS's apparent reluctance at making movies. There are a lot, and I mean a lot of movies that don't match the quality of Babylon 5 and yet were made. It must be something else.
Look at Peter Jackson's filmography and the LOTR trilogy. I'm still not sure how he got to make them and he didn't have the background that JMS has.
I agree with HuntSmacker, the B5 universe is rich and there are still many stories left to be told.
[B]I'm sure it deals with his refusal to let high execs to get involved [/B][/QUOTE]
Maybe JMS doesn't talk to the right people somehow. When you look at the making-of tracks on the extended releases of LOTR you'll see that Pete Jackson managed to get things done his way most of the time. Some people are more reluctant to accept a compromise than others, I guess. But then again I don't see what you can't do in movies what you can do on TV? I'd understand if it were the other way around, but it isn't in this case.
I'd love to see a remake of the Babylon 5 station, just for the movies, meaning more detailled and fleshed out.
I think that if the question had been "is the B5 [i]universe[/i] dead?" then instead of that long post JMS would have given just this short answer[quote]If something happens to come up
in the B5 universe that's fun to tell, and someone wants to provide a
venue, great...if not, also great. I told the story that I wanted,
needed to tell.[/quote];)
About B5 always remember: "This isn't some kind of Deep Space franchise, this place is ABOUT something.";)
I am perfectly OK that there aren't hundreds of books set on B5, any honest Trek or Star Wars fan can tell you how many of those are terrible.
And then there was that thing about a movie called "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"
IMO is much better that JMS won't set projects in B5 unless they are up to his standards.
[B]I think that an important point here is to distinguish between the B5 Universe and Babylon 5, the series [b]is[/b] complete.[/B][/QUOTE]
I suppose you are right about the station, but the way I understand it, this is about the B5 universe. JMS introduced us to so many interesting characters that were not directly tied to the main plot that would certainly warrant the production of other TV movies. It's unfortunate that Crusade flopped and I'm still not sure about what exactly happened, but I can imagine that it was a fatal blow to the franchise (even if JMS claims it wasn't one in the first place) and as we've seen even Trek isn't immune to that.
Again, it's difficult to understand what makes JMS tick since he's as easily readable as a Vorlon. :D
As for TMoS and other movies: jms isn't reluctant to do them, he's just reluctant to do them the way the execs want it done and the execs won't put money in if it's not done their way.
[B]Enterprise and the myriad of bad star trek/wars books is precisely why he doesn't want it becoming a franchise. He wants to avoid anything that isn't up to his standards happening.
As for TMoS and other movies: jms isn't reluctant to do them, he's just reluctant to do them the way the execs want it done and the execs won't put money in if it's not done their way. [/B][/QUOTE]
True, after Crusade/TNT and after how Jeremiah ended, JMS is reluctant doing something he doesnt have complete control over I suppose.
Unless something comes out of nowhere I very much doubt we'll be seeing anything B5 on the tv or the big screen for quite a while. I don't want to sound defeatist but the future doesn't look too bright for the B5 universe at the moment.
The B5 universe will only really take off if we have inconsistencies to argue over all the time.