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[Shabaz]

Wow, that would've been something. I mean, I absolutely adore Woodward in the role, but the thought of Andreas as Techno-Mage is intriguing.

[Jan]

You know, that's a bit I actually hadn't read before. I wasn't aware they were once considered Lochley as commander of the Excalibur.

I don't know whether they considered it but JMS did suggest it (remember, we're talking about TNT here). I found out from reading a treatment/outline for 'A Call to Arms' (then called 'Eve of Destruction'). The two people he suggested for Captain of the Excalibur were Michael York and Tracy Scoggins. Even more interesting to me was his suggestion of Andreas Katsulas to play Galen.

Jan

[Kevin]

You can probably blame TNT as well for that, for repeatedly changing there minds over whether Crusade could have any connection to B5. This affected Lochley's role as well:

http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1...%20tnt%20tracy

You know, that's a bit I actually hadn't read before. I wasn't aware they were once considered Lochley as commander of the Excalibur.

And you know... I think I would have liked that better. Ah well.

[RMcD]

I am most angry with Claudia because she's the reason we lost the ability to have Marcus in Crusade (Ref. http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-16999 ), and she's the reason we got Lochley/Scoggins for post-2261 B5 and Crusade stories.

You can probably blame TNT as well for that, for repeatedly changing there minds over whether Crusade could have any connection to B5. This affected Lochley's role as well:

http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-16025&query=crusade%20tnt%20tracy

[Jan]

I think what we're looking at is two separate possible situations - maybe even three. First, JMS has said many times that if he'd known that Claudia wasn't going to be in Season 5, he never would have killed off Marcus. That's the first and most common one.

Second is that post with the original Crusade treatment. Marcus saves Ivanova in 'Endgame' which was written in March 1998. The treatment that JMS copied into his post is dated June 1998. In other words, Marcus was already 'dead'. Or was he? In the script for 'Rising Star' there was a scene that didn't make it onto the screen (page 5, Scene 14). In it, a Med-Tech who met Franklin at Customs says:

"There was still some residual brain activity, so we decided to put Marcus into cryonic freeze. So if you ask me whther he is alive or dead...the answer is both, and neither. We got him at the moment in-between. Whether we will ever be able to revive him --"

So there may well have originally been a plan to revive Marcus in season 5 at some point, or between B5 and Crusade.

And third, and my memory's a bit foggy on this one, I seem to recall that JMS mentioned that the anti-agapic in 'Deathwalker' would have been a possibility to use to save Ivanova. I'll have to look around more for that one.

EDIT: No, I was wrong about that. The Deathwalker serum was set up as a possible alternative to the alien healing device to be used to save Garibaldi after being shot in the back.

As the script books continue to make clear, the creative process on B5 was still flexible, regardless of the overall arc.

Jan

[Garibaldi's Hair]

JMS may have said it ... but I have never been clear on how the Claudia situation threw the spanner into the works for Marcus in Crusade.

When the decision was made that Marcus would sacrifice himself to save Ivanova's life, there was no expectation of a fifth season, and no one knew that (if there was) Claudia wouldn't be returning. Obviously is that had been known ahead of time, then presumably JMS would have allowed Ivanova to die whilst Marcus expended everything he had to get there and save her but fail to do so (or have the guilt-racked Ivanova find a way to sacrifice herself in turn to save Marcus). In which case Marcus was free to take part in Crusade.

How does any of this make Claudia responsible for Marcus not being in Crusade?

[iamsheridan]

"Spiteful." Good point, though.

I am most angry with Claudia because she's the reason we lost the ability to have Marcus in Crusade (Ref. http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-16999 ), and she's the reason we got Lochley/Scoggins for post-2261 B5 and Crusade stories.

That IS interesting!

Does that mean that Ivanova would have saved Marcus back? (I mean that she would have saved him after he saved her (damn inexact language))

[SmileOfTheShadow]

"Spiteful." Good point, though.

I am most angry with Claudia because she's the reason we lost the ability to have Marcus in Crusade (Ref. http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-16999 ), and she's the reason we got Lochley/Scoggins for post-2261 B5 and Crusade stories.

I don't know how well JMS's original ideas for Claudia in 2261+ would have worked out, but I hope it would have been better than what we got with the Lochley character.

I also hope that Jerry, Claudia and Pat show up in future B5 stories (e.g. B5-TLT). It'd be great to see fences mended and everybody back in the fold.

Wow, I never knew that. Having Marcus would have been very, very cool.

[KoshN]

I wouldn't have. Call me spiteful but I wouldn't want to reward her that way, especially since her book was supposedly about a storyline that never would have existed if not for her leaving the show.

Jan

"Spiteful." Good point, though.

I am most angry with Claudia because she's the reason we lost the ability to have Marcus in Crusade (Ref. http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-16999 ), and she's the reason we got Lochley/Scoggins for post-2261 B5 and Crusade stories.

I don't know how well JMS's original ideas for Claudia in 2261+ would have worked out, but I hope it would have been better than what we got with the Lochley character.

I also hope that Jerry, Claudia and Pat show up in future B5 stories (e.g. B5-TLT). It'd be great to see fences mended and everybody back in the fold.

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Mmm...talia....

Oh wait, she's not dead. lol. Maybe...they can make her dead?

[SmileOfTheShadow]

^ Spiteful.
I can only imagine who SHE would have met in "Day of the Dead" ...

Mmm...talia....

[OmahaStar]

^ Spiteful.

lol ... I understand where you're coming from. As much as I personally like the character of Lochley, I wish Susan would have been there through the end.

I can only imagine who SHE would have met in "Day of the Dead" ...

[Jan]

I would have bought Claudia's book, as a curiosity, and thought of it as more or less fan fiction.

I wouldn't have. Call me spiteful but I wouldn't want to reward her that way, especially since her book was supposedly about a storyline that never would have existed if not for her leaving the show.

Jan

[KoshN]

Haha...i'm reading through them. I'm on 9 now, which I'm surprised to find is actually one of the better novels I've read period. Not just good for a fiction based on a show.

Why be surprised? It's widely known that #7 and #9 were the only good, canon ones of the Dell bunch. I mean, there's a reason that those were the only ones reprinted by Del Rey.

I was excited for Claudia's book, but not so much the others. Would have bought them all though, rabid collector that I am.

I would have bought Claudia's book, as a curiosity, and thought of it as more or less fan fiction.

[Kloreep]

I'd rather have no new B5 stuff then things on the calibur (or worse!) than Books 1-6 & 8. And I also have a hard time supporting a company that had it's PR outlet throw out as many straight-up lies as this one did about the whole thing.

Agreed. This project was just not turning out well.