Story Idea: A possible Babylon 4 series?

[David Panzer]

And besides, humans in 1260....tries to remember world history...i think the crusades were still going on, or it was the off time in-between the seventh and eighth crusade. You still had the Mongol hordes still running strong, although they did get their first defeat by the Mameluks. As much as Kubla Khan was important to the Mongols, they wouldn't last for a second against any species from the B5 universe...well, maybe if they had the necessary ear protection in a spoo ranch.

[Woolie Wool]

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

[Andrew_Swallow]

There would be Centauri (barely jump-capable at this point), Vree, Streib, Soul Hunters, Drakh, and various other races. A story involving humans and Earth could appear, perhaps in the form of Vorlons using human telepaths to disable Shadow ships.

Not 1,000 years ago. Human telepaths had not yet been created. Narn telepaths existed but they are a different story.

[Woolie Wool]

There would be Centauri (barely jump-capable at this point), Vree, Streib, Soul Hunters, Drakh, and various other races. A story involving humans and Earth could appear, perhaps in the form of Vorlons using human telepaths to disable Shadow ships.

[Capt.Montoya]

I think it's ok to post story threads on here ... it's only a fun way of our own imaginations of the saga to spread out. A bit like some of the websites that have popped up in recent years where fans are creating their own comic storylines, flash enabled web episodes and so on.

If necessary, create another 'Forum Room' specifically for story ideas. Let the rivers of babylon flow

If some of those websites that have popped up are already having B5 fan fiction why not just re-direct those efforts there?

I see no need for story ideas in these forums, much less for fan fiction.
We already engage in much speculation about the unexposed and unexplored corners of B5 without going into story ideas and much less fan fiction.

So I definitely vote NO to allowing story ideas free reign.

Now about the B4 war spin-off... as some said it wouldn't work for USA TV (and let's face it: it won't be the TV industry of any other country that could produce it), for it has no humans, only boneheaded humanoids, as the main characters.

Also... I've read in some forums that JMS once said that he would never tell that story because a "fan" posted way too many story ideas about it in rastbm or other usenet group.
Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't have time to search the archive for that post.

[Redrake]

Hmm, some series with only minbari and vorlons? I don't know how good it will be.

[Joansie]

IMHO just in case "THE" JMS comes a calling I think we should forgo any fanfic.

[Jan]

And may I just say that the moderator hat looks just lovely on you!

What, this old thing? You sweet-talker you!

We did invite JMS over here a while ago which is why there's a registration for him. He seems to have found a satisfactory means of posting to the newsgroup which is about the only reason I think he'd have for changing over to this site.

Jan

[WorkerCaste]

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?

Jan
wearing her moderator hat a lot today

And may I just say that the moderator hat looks just lovely on you!

To answer your question, I have no interest in detailed story ideas or fanfic. I have nothing against the concept, I'm just not interested. I don't think it real likely that JMS will start participating here (although hope springs eternal ), but I'd just as soon not have them combined into the B5 forum for clarity's sake. I think a new forum would be just fine.

[Radhil]

Kris has a good thought there. It would open us up more to simple error though - there's always the wayward newb who would come on and post whatever he likes wherever he likes. But a story idea forum would channel these, and heck, as this very thread shows, it's not like the gaffs wouldn't show up anyway.

I don't think we'd need to let story ideas in, but if we did, separate forum is a good way to do it.

[Kris79]

I've edited the thread title to show that this thread is a story idea. Actually, while the idea of B4 isn't new, the first post is more the beginning of a fanfic or script.

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?

Jan
wearing her moderator hat a lot today

I think it's ok to post story threads on here ... it's only a fun way of our own imaginations of the saga to spread out. A bit like some of the websites that have popped up in recent years where fans are creating their own comic storylines, flash enabled web episodes and so on.

If necessary, create another 'Forum Room' specifically for story ideas. Let the rivers of babylon flow

[Jan]

I've edited the thread title to show that this thread is a story idea. Actually, while the idea of B4 isn't new, the first post is more the beginning of a fanfic or script.

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?

Jan
wearing her moderator hat a lot today

[Harrdy]

I would like to see that show, very much...

I also have an idea for the "hole", but it would be something *very* new. How about a "frame" about two episodes long, where we meet every character and when meeting him the first time we "travel back" to see why he is there (which would be the episode). So the pior story would unfold with every character (every episode) to the point where the story would "click in" and would show where the characters end.

Anyway, B4 is one of the more interresting "Spin off"-Possibilities, but still I see a problem when big Networks get involved. There is but one human in the show, and he got "transformed". While I have no problem in an "all alien" show, there might be a problem with the TV-Networks 8-/

PeAcE

[Crusafier]

It would make an interesting show but the problem is, it took 10 years after Babylon 4 had arrived for the Minbari and allies to actually beat the Shadows back, So writing a show, based on that sorta era would eb difficult, mixed in with that, you've got the history that the war had been raging long before B4 came aswell. Which leaves a massive back story missing really, and 10 years worth of story to cram into the general 5-7 seasons which sci-fi shows run for normally.
Also mixed in with that, one of the good things about B5 was the storys based around and leading up to the wars seen through the series, Even though the Shadow war lasted over a year we only saw a few battles, if a show was to be done as you said, you've seen how fierce the Minbari warrior caste is, I imagine that the B4 war thing would have just been slug-fest after slug-fest , then a few months of licking their wounds then pounding each other again, which would get quite repetitive, but if you could overcome this it'd be good, but for an effect sorry story you need a solid pre-lude to it, or a solid storybase/history of whats happened before the show started, and a clear end, which to hold true to what is, couldnt be achieved in the 5 - 7 seasons unless you did a time-jump a few years ahead or something, but I may be horribly horribly wrong

[grumbler]

For a long time, I've toyed with the idea of a B5 spinoff set in the first Shadow War and involving Babylon 4 and Valen. It would be tricky to work out all the exposition and ties to B5 while maintaining a smooth flow, but I think it could be done.

I would actually argue that this would be better done without the direct B5 tie-in, and be more of a presumed "long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" manner and only slowly reveal the fact that it was a B5-related story. If such a thing were possible. Maybe by having a first season in which the Shadow war goes badly, without actually showing Shadow ships (since there are no survivor4s to carry back the message) and never having the Minbari refer to themselves as "the Minbari" but rather as "the People" or something?

As you can see, you are not the only one who has parsed this idea. It is a compelling one.