David Cerreta <72630.3433@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now it begins, eh?
> Just how big are the Medlabs?
> Is it like a modern hospital with 250 beds and so on?
> So when we see Medlabs, are we seeing the equivalent of a
> critical care unit? Immediately, she asks, "What have you heard
> about Babylon 5? Is it renewed?

Thanks. That's great to hear. (Yours is the first reaction
I've seen to the ep.)

There are a number of medlabs, which are broken into various
areas; each has a larger wing attached to it, which we've seen on
occasion, such as when the young girl in "Legacies" is in the infirmary
in bed, same with Shon in "Believers." They each have a pretty fair
capacity for patients.

Beyond that...thanks again. This is a particularly good
episode, I think, a real turning point in the show. (And I'm pleased
that this is one ep where I've more or less managed to keep advance
info down to a minimum.) Everyone did a great job.

jms

Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who built it?
> The Rangers or technicians on the B5 payroll?
> Also, how much have the former Earth Force personel stationed on
> B5 been told about the Shadows and the coming war?

Thanks. Yes, everybody's agendas remain the same...but for the
moment, they are on the same alignment. As soon as it's over, as
Ivanova says, he'll turn on them, no mistake. Enlightened
self-interest, nothing more.

The new command center was cobbled from what's on the station,
with some additional Minbari funding. And yes, by now, pretty much the
whole crew knows what's at stake with the shadows. And now that
they're not hiding anymore, the whole *thing* is out in the open.

jms

{original post unavailable}

Thanks...it's a good one, no mistake.

jms

Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> And by the way, any word on renewal?

We won't hear on that until mid-May or so. If there were word,
you wouldn't have to inquire.

jms

SysOp Lee Whiteside <76711.2660@compuserve.com> asks:
> Whereabouts on the sound stages did you fit it in?

Since we're not using the casino much this season -- not a lot
of room for frivolity -- we yanked it out and put up the war room on
stage C.

jms

{original post had no questions}

Actually, the teaser you saw isn't from the two-parter, it's
from "Interludes and Examinations," which airs just before "War."

jms

John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com> asks:
> But does this mean that the allies of Light are going to start
> recruiting from among Psi Corps? Which character was she?
> Can you tell me if there was anything that you told Andreas or
> Mira about playing out this sequence, or was it pretty much an
> actor playing to another actor kind of thing?

Thanks. That's one of the things about the show that makes it
very appealing to write; you can go from fall down funny, broad comedy
in "Vir" to something more emotional, almost lyrical but serious in
"Avalon," then right into something vaguely horrific in "Ship." You
get to use all your muscles, not just the same ones over and over. I
like to stretch, try something I haven't tried before. Which means
from time to time I fall on my face, but that's okay; it's the only way
to learn. I have absolutely no qualms about making an ass of myself
and failing if it means that the next time, I can do it right.

I didn't give Mira or Andreas any instructions on that scene
except what was in the script, which was minimal. When you have two
performers that solid in the room, just give them the lines and run
like hell.

Speaking of going back and rewatching episodes...part of this
goes right back to the *pilot*, where, you'll recall, G'Kar tried to
seduce Lyta, mentioning that there are no Narn telepaths, and they feel
very strongly it's important to their survival that they start breeding
them at the first opportunity.

Ding....!

jms

John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com> asks:
> How difficult do you find it to change emotional strides when
> writing stories like this? By the way, any chance I can get the
> spelling for the two Narn words that mean "mindwalker" and
> "destroyed" that Garibaldi mentioned at one point in that
> discussion?

No, it's never difficult for me to go from horror to romance to
comedy to action; they're just different colors in the artist's
toolbox...you go from red to blue to green to yellow, and it's not
difficult doing it, just in knowing *when* to do it, and *how* to do
it.

jms

Bruno Melancon <102647.3222@compuserve.com> asks:
> - Delenn-G'Kar confrontation - Bester helping the cause?
> - The War Room - Humans (or telepaths) merging with the Shadows
> ships - The telepaths-weapons against the Shadows? About that last
> point, can you tell me the name of the colony that is attacked by
> the Shadows? Is it a human colony?
> Clark be upset with the Shadows?

That's Brakiri space they attacked; more on that in the next
episode. (They're a League world.)

jms

{original post had no questions}

Thanks...it's a great episode. And they get better.

jms

Rick Sharon <76416.2213@compuserve.com> asks:
> would he?
> would he?
> Not even HE is that devious, is he?
> could he??!?
> he couldn't, could he?
> will he?
> (Hmmmm, B5 repair kit?
> The newscaster wasn't visible "below the waist", was she wearing
> hip-boots? are the Shadows consumers and we're just consumables?
> He's a busy man, who has time for that sort of thing?
> But, correction Sheridan, it's not "now we have a weapon", it's
> "now we know what kind of weapon could work" - where is Sheridan
> going to find an Army of telepaths? could you please arrange to
> distribute/broadcast a new B5 episode every 2-3 hours? Whatever
> were you thinking? DO YOU HEAR ME???
> Anxiously looking forward to next episode (but, one week?

Thanks for that...well, for *all* of that, as there was much
good stuff and kind words therein. Just got in from Ohio, so I'm
bushed, but still very appreciative.

jms

{original post unavailable}

Yes, Minbari telepaths can also have an effect, as we'll see
soon.

jms

{original post unavailable}

There's no relation between the aliens working for the shadows
and the Streib. The ones you saw in the flash were "doctors" of a sort
doing the work; there was no abduction required except of course the
covert kidnapping from the Psi Corps Re-education Center. As for
Bester's look behind, he was just looking to the guards behind him, and
the ones in front of him.

jms

Douglas Files Fox <74020.3260@compuserve.com> asks:
> Had Geribaldi's "found pin" suffered the same fate as Bester's
> pin? Is the addition of the Cyber- Implants, the "Preparation"
> Delenn was refering to in "Messages from Earth"? The crew members
> of the Icarus, who didn't go along, were they used as Shadow ship
> "Central Cores"? So I was wondering if Sheridan's wife could have
> been used as a "Core" of one of the Shadow Ships?

Yes, the implants are part of the preparation process Delenn
referred to in "Messages." As for the rest...only time will tell,
cause sure as hell I ain't....

jms

Richard M. Perry <76461.2737@compuserve.com> asks:
> What's next, little miniture Shadow ships painted on the side or
> will we see the jackets first? BTW, did someone at WB get a clue
> (or replaced by RMES)?

Thanks, and that's great to hear about the station's reaction.
It's a very hopeful sign, as is the increased advertising from WB.

jms

Trent K. Johnson <71020.1052@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you happen to know what this refers to?
> Is this something you do in post, or is that done at the feed
> site?

"Noticed on the takeboards from the sat. feeds for this and a couple
of other episodes: Textless at 1:05. Do you happen to know what this
refers to?"

Some of the cassettes provided have the opening sequences in a
separate section at 1 hour 5 minutes without the titles over them, so
that they can be used in promos by the stations.

"Also, they say "Color Corrected". Is this something you do in post,
or is that done at the feed site?"

No, color correction is done in post, to make sure that all the colors
are true, and sometimes to enhance one element or another.

jms

John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com> asks:
> Can you tell me which spelling on the name is right, please?

It's Brakiri.

jms

Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> While I'm sure that you never intended the comparison when you
> wrote SoT, (I'd go so far as to lay odds that you've never seen
> Captain Eo), were the parallels mentioned by anyone when the show
> was being produced?

No, it's never come up before, and I think that's WAY stretching
it. (How come everybody always spends so much time trying to find out
what a show like B5 is *like* instead of just looking at it for what it
is? "Oh, it's Cap'n Eo...oh, no, it's Lord of the Rings...Dune, Dune,
I tell you, it's Dune...no, it's this over here...no, it's Cap'n
Crunch...."

Feh.

jms

{original post unavailable}

Yeah, and after a while I stopped doing that, because a number
of folks couldn't distinguish between nodding to something that went
before as an act of tribute or respect, and *doing* that story. So I
pointedly don't do that anymore.

jms