Story Idea: A possible Babylon 4 series?

[WorkerCaste]

I just took a spin through the thread and did tallying. Here's what I found:

Allow story ideas - no restrictions: 2
Allow story ideas - special forum: 1 (* 2)
No story ideas: 7 (* 6)

* One person thought a special forum was OK, but when Jan said it is probably either or, they switched to "No"

Is this enough to establish for a decision?

[colonyearth]

Guess, being an old-timer around here, I should finally weigh in. NOPE. No offense to the new person who joined and wants to share. I welcome you with open arms to our little neck of the SF universe!

But I do vote an absolute and resounding "no" for any fanfic or stories here. Although he may never come a-wandering, I would prefer to keep this site free of any hinderences to JMS' presence.

Not to mention, being a writer, storyteller, filmmaker myself, I would prefer to stay away from sites and forums that have story ideas, which is why I only come here and to B5tv (where only one such story ever has appeared in my time there and it was noted in headings)...that way I don't read them.

Besides, we have plenty without that to argue...ahem...I mean talk about.

That is all....carry on.

CE

[Kloreep]

If it's truly either/or, then I'd have to say a site devoted to JMS' postings wouldn't be one of the forums for fanfic/story ideas.

[grumbler]

....actual telepathy only manifested itself a few centuries b4 B5.

I am not being pedantic in noting that JMS and others under his spell have always noted that it was only "reliable, scientifically measurable" telepathy/TK/etc became known in the early 22nd century. eg

The whole telepathy issue is an interesting one in the universe of B5.
There have always been attempts to prove the existence of telepathy, but in
general the findings have been inconclusive. But about 125 years or so ago in
B5's timeline (2100-2110 and thereabouts) the findings began suddenly to tilt,
and full-blown telepaths began to be discovered.

I am not sure what the significance is of this more nuanced view of the existance of telepathy. My own view is that the Vorlons had planted the seeds long ago and only "activated" the talent in the 21st century. Seeding of a mostly recessive trait seems logical if you want lots of telepaths in a few generations after activation, but don't want to many people jumping prematurely out of the birthday cake, in case the Shadows are watching.

[grumbler]

I'd like to get comments from the members about continuing the thread, though. I recall us discussing this before and the conclusion being that the community wanted these forums to be 'story idea free' in case JMS should happen to read or ever want to participate here. I'm not able to locate that thread right now so let me ask again...do we want to keep story ideas out of these forums or allow them?

Hmm, on reflection, even though I jumped at the bait, I think there are other fora for the story ideas and fanfic. So I vote "keep 'em out" via redirection.

[Capt.Montoya]

Given that, I'll switch to a definite no -- just in case . Let's just make it official, put it in the FAQ, etc. And then our overworked moderators will be absolutely clear.

There's no switch for me there. I remain against story ideas (beyond the few ones that might come up as speculation while discussing the least exposed aspects of the B5 Universe).

As additional info, part of another post by JMS: < http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-16292 >

9) Folks have emailed to ask if I'm still lurking on the scifi.com/babylon5
board because I haven't said anything there in a while...the answer is no,
because fan fiction began to show up, and where it is, I can't be. I do find
this kind of awkward, because it's the one thing I've ever asked from fans: if
you know I'm in X location, however infrequently, please keep fanfic away from
where I can see it, especially since I'm telling new stories now in the B5
universe and don't want to imperil myself legally by being exposed to fanfic.
There are plenty of sites where that stuff is available.

As he said and I commented before, there are (were) plenty of sites, some should remain active. There should be no need to have fanfic and/or story ideas here at all.

If this is made the official policy maybe the FAQ should include some links to places where B5 story ideas can be posted.

And after making it official... maybe this thread should be closed?
Or if it is true that JMS has already said that he won't tell the B4-Valen story anyway (precisely because of someone posting story ideas) will this thread be spared (as the one and only exception) the closing and deleting policy that an official prohibition on story ideas would demand?

Not wanting to impose any decision or infringe anyone's right to post, just asking and suggesting....

[WorkerCaste]

Given that, I'll switch to a definite no -- just in case . Let's just make it official, put it in the FAQ, etc. And then our overworked moderators will be absolutely clear.

[Jan]

I'd say there should be a "JMS should not read this" sub-forum of the Babylon 5 forum for stuff like this, just in case he does come by. The main forum remains something he can see and this thread continues.

I truly think that it needs to be either/or. JMS has said many times that where there are story ideas or fanfic, he cannot risk being. Here's a post from 1996 that makes his position clear:

From: Jms at B5
Subject: Re:Story Line Suggestions
To: AOL
Date: 7/9/1996 10:23:00 AM
No Thread


"As a cure for the creative souls among us, may I humbly offer the following
suggestion: create a new folder strictly for B5 Fan Fiction"

Absolutely positively no way.

Yes, the B5 storyline is set. Could we win any case in court? Yes. Do I
want to spend three years of my life or thereabouts giving depositions,
talking to lawyers, and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and the
aggravation involved in all this? No. Not because somebody wants to toss
out a story idea and later decide he wants to sue.

No fan fiction, no story ideas. Or I'm outta here. That's tough to say, and
to hear, but that's the only request I make in exchange for being here.

jms

My vote remains a solid No to story ideas or fan fiction.

Jan

[Kloreep]

I'd say there should be a "JMS should not read this" sub-forum of the Babylon 5 forum for stuff like this, just in case he does come by. The main forum remains something he can see and this thread continues.

[Andrew_Swallow]

We do know that JMS reads the archive of his previous postings.

[FuryPilot]

I'd like to get comments from the members about continuing the thread, though. I recall us discussing this before and the conclusion being that the community wanted these forums to be 'story idea free' in case JMS should happen to read or ever want to participate here.

Personally, for the reasons stated above I am uncomfortable discussing story ideas on JMSNews.

Uncomfortable? Yes. Do I think it matters? Not really. Unless Usenet goes belly-up and JMS needs this site as the sucessor forum. I do not see that happening, however.

FP

[Capt.Montoya]

In the "olden days" it referred to people who used magic (men and women). Magic = witchcraft. The medieval witch could be a telepath whose abilities and behavior were misrepresented and distorted by hostile mundanes.

But for the purposes of this discussion you forget that the Psi-Corps trilogy does establish that Vorlons created human telepaths in more recent times and actual telepathy only manifested itself a few centuries b4 B5.
Having telepaths in Earth during the previous Shadow War, whose storyline would be connected to their being preceived as witches, goes against canon.

If we are actually gonna break with tradition and start discussing actual story ideas let's at least try to be canonical.

I would also consider that ideas invloving witchcraft belong more into a fantasy story, while B5 was more of a science fiction story. Technomages are SF, since their "magic" is based on science.
The full explanation is a SPOILER, if you haven't read the Technomage trilogy or the unproduced Crusade scripts:

Technomages have their powers thanks to Shadow Technology

(end of spoiler)

[AmyG]

In the "olden days" it referred to people who used magic (men and women). Magic = witchcraft. The medieval witch could be a telepath whose abilities and behavior were misrepresented and distorted by hostile mundanes.

People who do witchcraft - as well as Wiccans, and pagans of many other stripes - don't have any connection whatsoever with telepathy unless they happen to be telepathic. Witchcraft, wicca, shamanism, the various varieties of paganism are spiritual paths. The spellcraft practiced by people who consider themselves witches bears little to no resemblance to anything a telepath would/could do.

It's kind of like saying that witches (telepaths) are brunette, because some of them have brown hair. It's more like: some people who are brunette (telepathic) also practice witchcraft.

Amy

[Woolie Wool]

In the "olden days" it referred to people who used magic (men and women). Magic = witchcraft. The medieval witch could be a telepath whose abilities and behavior were misrepresented and distorted by hostile mundanes.

[Jan]

You forget witches. The most probable idea is that human telepathy was sporadic until the Psi Corps organized and bred telepaths.

Actually, it was only after certifiable telepaths were discovered (and persecuted) that the Psi Corps was formed according to the Psi Corps trilogy. We know from the show that that was only about 100 years before the events on the station as seen on the episode "The Illusion of Truth". Psi Corps also wanted to breed more and stronger telepaths, trying to develop telekinesis and other psi powers. Also, I think you may mean espers. 'Witches' is a term describing followers of the Wiccan religion and even in the 'olden days' didn't necessarily mean they were telepathic.

Jan