Script Book #11 - SPOILERS

[AstroBoy]

I've already started

So...anybody else read their copy yet or are you waiting for the weekend.

Jan,

Mine arrived yesterday and was waiting form me when I got home from work. 1st thing I did after changing clothes was to open the box and start reading. I got all the way through the commentaries and 1st script before I got too tired to read anymore.

One thing that struck me was that I had heard a lot of the stuff before since I was online and very active on teh boards (Compuserve & Usenet) during the regular production run. So the whole Blackpool story while more detailed, was like dejavu.

I'm sure a lot of us old timers felt the same way.

Craig

[Jan]

I agree, Craig, as I was active back then also.

There were a few more details but no real difference in the telling. What was so clear to me was that, though JMS was trying to keep the writing unemotional, you still could tell that he felt the show seeming to crumble around him just when it should have been clear sailing.

Has anybody gone to look at the extended scenes on the Season 5 DVD to see Sheridan pick up the paper that JMS wrote the message on? I did. After doing that, it's unbelievable that he cut that scene.

Jan

[DeanHFox]

Has anybody gone to look at the extended scenes on the Season 5 DVD to see Sheridan pick up the paper that JMS wrote the message on? I did. After doing that, it's unbelievable that he cut that scene.

Jan

I'm glad they included the "cut" footage on the DVD's...but I have to confess that *my* favorite "cut" scene was the footage of JMS on the stretcher, clutching the keyboard.

After reading that the scene was originally *scripted*, and shot as scripted, I had to wipe my eyes, I was laughing so hard. You gotta love JMS's sense of humor.

I *do* wish the advertisements for the various books had survived to the DVD's...I wonder if they ever shot them and lost the footage, or just never got artwork to shoot.

[Jan]

I'm glad they included the "cut" footage on the DVD's...but I have to confess that *my* favorite "cut" scene was the footage of JMS on the stretcher, clutching the keyboard.

After reading that the scene was originally *scripted*, and shot as scripted, I had to wipe my eyes, I was laughing so hard. You gotta love JMS's sense of humor.

I love that scene also but I'm glad that they cut it from the episode. It would have spoiled the mood created by the episode, I think. JMS actually brought that scene to a convention one time so I'd seen it before the DVDs. It was on a reel of preview scenes from Season Four that he'd brought with him.

[quote[I *do* wish the advertisements for the various books had survived to the DVD's...I wonder if they ever shot them and lost the footage, or just never got artwork to shoot.[/QUOTE]
I'd've liked to have seen that, too, just for completness' sake. You got me curious so I just went to my original script which I bought from a member of the Art Dept. When it gets to the part in the Tag where the Announcer talks about the books, the notes he wrote on the side were:

--Next to the Battle of the Line download - "Product shots: -sweep table backlit

--Near the Book of G'Quon/Book of G'Kar - a sketch of some books - one open and a few standing. "Actual books Pen and so forth"

--Next to In Memory Still Bright by Vir Cotto - "Very ornate"

I think my favorite cut scene was JMS walking down the darkened hallway after turning off the light. That one's part of the introduction rather than the extended scenes. Now I'll never be able to see that without thinking of "Then years on and I still can't turn around." (sniff)

Jan

[nottenst]

My first reaction: Oooh, goody, he's going to write about the Telepath War!

I just finished reading through the Sleeping in Light intro. Great stuff there. Back in the Rising Stars intro he does write some about the Telepath War.

(This scene was also inserted in order to set up the coming telepath war, which I hoped to, and still hope to get around to telling one day.)

So, he hasn't ruled out telling that one of these days.

Neil

[Night Marshal]

I have to say I've enjoyed this book but I think JMS still feels and rightly so that much of the issues of season 5 were from Claudia leaving. And while its has been said before I'm glad he put it in writing again that if jms had know Claudia was leaving marcus would have never died.

Granted if you listen to what Claudia had to say on her interview on the babylon 5 podcast and take that in the context of what JMS has to say you can start to see the whole picture

http://www.babylonpodcast.com/2006/11/08/babylon-podcast-show-40/

also I agree with jan wish to have gotten more from "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari" and what he was trying to with shieden in the bar. I agree the ep worked well for me as well and is one of the best in the 5th season.

[KoshN]

Has anybody gone to look at the extended scenes on the Season 5 DVD to see Sheridan pick up the paper that JMS wrote the message on? I did. After doing that, it's unbelievable that he cut that scene.

What are you talking about? Extended scenes? What? ....the bloopers on Season 5 Disc 6?

[Jan]

Nope, not bloopers. Same disk, though, I think. There's a few extended scenes: Ivanaova assigning her aide to latrine duty, Commander Nils falling out of bed when notified that Sheridan's arrived, Sheridan walking down a corridor and picking up that paper that JMS talks about in Volume 11.

Thanks for the link to the podcast, Night Marshall. I'd like to go back and listen to it again.

Jan

[SLerman]

Speaking of the old newspaper, am I the only that gets supremely annoyed when JMS says "and nobody will ever know" about anything? Maybe it's just my extreme curiosity, but I hate not knowing.

[Jan]

Speaking of the old newspaper, am I the only that gets supremely annoyed when JMS says "and nobody will ever know" about anything? Maybe it's just my extreme curiosity, but I hate not knowing.

No, I had pretty much the opposite reaction to the note he wrote on the paper. I thought it was extremely cool that he did it and kind of sad that he cut it out.

I think you're talking about when he says that in general, though, right? I don't mind that either, really. I don't think that he's ever doing it just to say "I know something you don't" and rub our noses in it. I just think that sometimes there were things that needed to be acknowleged as happening but that he doesn't feel should be discussed publicly for whatever reason. Yeah, sometimes I'm curious but I don't really mind it.

Jan

[frulad]

I'll admit those kinds of teases do intrigue me, but given so much that JMS has shared with us, I feel that he has a very good reason to hold back certain things.

[DeMonk]

Isn't Babylon 5 splendid for my education? What better excuse for reading these scripts can I have than... I'm learning new things?
Had to look up opined on the web. It wasn't even in my dictionary. I'm all for marvelous excuses like these. Anyone a better one?

[Jan]

Well, that's certainly an excellent excuse. I'm afraid that I came under the influence of Robert A. Heinlein at an impressionable age and learned the lesson he taught in his guise of Lazarus Long: Budget the luxuries first. Heck, they're just plain cool.

Oh, and in case you were left wondering:

Main Entry: opine
Function: verb
Pronunciation: O-'pīn
Inflected Form(s): opined ; opinÀing
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French opiner, from Latin opinari to have an opinion
intransitive senses
: to express opinions
transitive senses : to state as an opinion

Jan

[Joe Nazzaro]

Opine: a word my wife won't let me use in any article or interview. But it's fun to use in conversation when I want to piss her off.

[Jan]

Why not, if you don't mind my asking. I've always thought it was a pretty cool word.

Jan