Babylon 5 Novels and Graphic Novels - at Mongoose

[Jan]

I'd say very reasonable. As I recall, one of the reasons why JMS scattered the characters far and wide was so that they'd be available more readily for Crusade. Would have been interesting to see how she and Gideon or she and Galen got along, wouldn't it?

Jan

[Night Marshal]

In theory, it's possible. In reality I'm not sure how probable, though. Granted that JMS got over Robert Foxworth bailing on playing General Hague enough to hire him on Jeremiah as the President, but several years had passed by then. Foxworth didn't change the dynamics of an entire season the way CC's departure did.

Still, if it was necessary to the story, I think JMS would have had Ivanova appear.

Jan

My memory might me tricking me but didn't Hague also show up a few times during "In the Beginning." And from what I have read of the whole Hague thing, is that only one line needed to be changed to have Major Ryan rather than General Hague

As for Crusade its been just over 7 years since that last episode aired its doesn't seem very likely that we are going to Crusade with the original cast and it the story it most likely going to get told from a different prospective. Like Rangers, this was set two years before the beginning of Crusade and would have wrapped up the Plague storyline at the very least. It seems to me that most of B5 stuff written since Crusade has been trying to put that barking dog to sleep. Maybe it would be best just to let it sleep and move on. Let the books deal with it where you don't have to worry about casts, budgets or getting ratings.

Also CC did admit somewhere at some point she quit. JMS is just more likely to for give someone another chance if they admit what they have done

Edit: my bad "In the Beginning." it was J. Patrick McCormack as General Lefcourt, Guess I always assumed it was General Hague

[vacantlook]

Would have been interesting to see how she and Gideon or she and Galen got along, wouldn't it?

Oh yeah: I can see her and Galen being a very interesting dynamic on screen. I also find myself wondering what her thoughts on Matheson being a telepath and in a position of something more than PsiCorps/Prison/Drugged Up Person would be.

[SpooRancher]

With the new Warlock class ship that Ivanova got assigned having hidden Shadow technology programming, is it wrong of me to think that her character *could* have popped up on Crusade had the show continued since Crusade was going to eventually go down the road of EarthForce blackops projects dealing with Shadow tech?

But, the Warlock class ship that showed up in Crusade was NOT a ship with Shadowtech.

It had nice, straight lines.

[Andrew_Swallow]

But, the Warlock class ship that showed up in Crusade was NOT a ship with Shadowtech.

It had nice, straight lines.

There are two sets of Shadowtech ships. Warlocks have a normal hull but Shadowtech control systems. According to the margazine story it frightens telepaths.

[vacantlook]

Yup, the jms-written short story "Hidden Agendas" revealed to us that the Warlock class ships have hidden Shadow technology.

[Satai Delenn]

One other thing regarding the novels Matthew Sprague posted a message about that the upcoming B5 book novel line will be about What Ivanova was doing during season five set in 2262. And for canon he said he would be posting more on that later .

[Satai Delenn]

Here's the quote from the mongoose forums in case anyone wants to see it.

That is exactly what it is going to be about - what Ivanova was up to during 2262.

As for the canon implications, we'll be making an announcement about that very soon. . .

[Capt.Montoya]

an update

A link I found at the FirstOnes.com forums:

http://www.isnnews.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=3967

Mongoose is going ahead with the original novels, according to them WB has said that the novels will be canon (I guess we're gonna start having two canons the writer's and the studio's).
I don't know if without JMS and/or Fiona Avery supervision those novels can really be canon.
I'm specially concerned that whatever they put out to wrap up Crusade just can't be official. I'd love to be able to read books continuing and closing Crusade, but if they don't come from a JMS outline I'm not interested.

[David Panzer]

I agree with everything Black Omega said in that link you provided, Cap'n.

[manwithnoname]

...but if they don't come from a JMS outline I'm not interested.

I know people disagree on this, but I agree with the Cap'n. The only reason I started watching B5 is JMS.

I understand Moonstone's reasoning about running a business. At the same time, you have to spend money to make money. I would any B5 novel with the Great Maker's stamp of approval, but since he is not involved then I'll not involve myself in the books.

I am a huge reader. I have too many books and too many authors to read. Without JMS' involvement there's no incentive for me. That's just the way it is.

[David Panzer]

Well, isn't this like the situation with the Star Wars novels that came out in '91? Lucas wasn't beholden to what was written in the books, games, or whatever when he decides to tell another Star Wars story. If that means contradicting a book here or there with his stories, he's the creator. Same thing with this.

If JMS decides to tell another story set in the B5 universe, if he decides to support or contradict what happened, that's his choice.

Right now, not a single word from these B5 novels has been published. So to me, it's similar to say "That movie stinks" or "That book is junk" without having experienced either.

So take this quote from JMS along with you...

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.

...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.

[Night Marshal]

We should also remember that George Lucus cares about two things making money, and making more money. If some of the novels are wrong well that just means more books will have to be pubished later making more money.

Also Lucus, for 20 years seemed to have trouble moving passed star wars some would says he still having trouble, but that aside. JMS had a Story to tell, he told that story,and after much trouble trying to keep telling his story he moved on to other projects. I know as fans we want Babylon 5 to keep going and to keep going with JMS at the helm. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

My hope is that when these books come out We will get word from JMS what the thinks of them and if that have a PLace in the Babylon 5 universe.

[David Panzer]

As long as the stories don't involve new characters that somehow had an effect what happened on what we saw happen on the series, I don't see a problem.

I've also not seen anything that says "Only JMS can tell stories in the B5 universe". If that statement were true, why not "Only Stan Lee can tell Spider-Man stories", or "Only Siegel and Shuster can tell Superman stories".

When these books appear stateside, I'll take a day off from work and read some of it in the bookstore. If I enjoy it, I'll buy it.

[manwithnoname]

As long as the stories don't involve new characters that somehow had an effect what happened on what we saw happen on the series, I don't see a problem.

What if they do involve new characters, a few here, a few there?

[/QUOTE]I've also not seen anything that says "Only JMS can tell stories in the B5 universe". If that statement were true, why not "Only Stan Lee can tell Spider-Man stories", or "Only Siegel and Shuster can tell Superman stories".[/QUOTE]

You've made some very good points. Everybody has their own "line" they think something should not cross. Again, I'm terribly behind in my reading (Taylor Branch's Parting The Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63, 924 pages!!), so, for me, there's no incentive. However, if many posters here are recommending the same titles as a "must read," then I'll check it out.

Mr./Mrs. Willie, thank you for being open-minded on this topic. Sitting down at the local bookstore to read several pages for a test read is a great idea. Good show, I say!