Peter Kazmir <112055.402@compuserve.com> asks:
> What's up with that Shadow vessel?
> Was it a Shadow vessel?
> Or was it an experimental EarthForce ship (considering the
> intensity of the interr....errr....debriefing)?

That remains to be revealed.

jms

{original post unavailable}

Thanks, this one is a favorite of mine as well. It was one of
the scripts written while we were still shooting the first 5, before
TNT got into the process. When that happened, they made it clear that
they *hated* this story, felt that nobody would be interested in all
this backstory...and asked for it all to be taken out, let them run
into this alien and make him an evil character, an emotional vampire
who drives them insane.

This was one of the first scripts where I dug in my heels
bigtime and refused to do what they asked. I knew it would be
powerful; they thought it would be utterly uninteresting. They were
wrong.

jms

Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was this that ep?
> If so what happened that prevented using Lyta in this role?
> For the curious of us out here was the new ship we saw a Shadow
> ship?

Yeah, Lyta would've been in that ep but Pat was on a movie at
the time.

jms

(blocked) asks:
> Deriving sustenance from *giving* forgiveness?
> From experiencing others receiving forgiveness?
> From experiencing others forgiving themselves?
> Were you implying that he simply didn't have time to warn the big
> shots, or didn't have time if he wanted a seat on the Last Flight
> Out, or that he shared the captive's distaste for PC veeps and
> wanted them to burn? If you're in a mood for answering multiple
> questions, why cut the transponder out of her skin if she only
> had to send a thought to activate it? To convince Matheson that he
> had better flee? Was that explosion the whole telepath war in ten
> seconds, or is more to come? Do you have a strong feeling either
> way about regarding the critter as analogous to Catholic
> confession?

A device that small would run out of power if it were on all the
time, and might be detected. My feeling was that it was switched off
and had to be removed to power it up, then the telepathic signal would
activate the beacon and bring in the troops. You'd have a two-stage
process to a) avoid detection, and b) ensure that if it *were* found it
couldn't be used by anyone else to stage a trap.

jms

{original post unavailable}

Thanks...and yeah, Daniel is just terrific.

jms

Dan T. Davis <71121.1254@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now that I know how you held out, let me also praise the
> inclusion of the non-sequiter Apocalypse Box - why should every
> "emotion revealed" by the forgiveness being "only" emphasize and
> reflect on plot points we are aware of?

Re: the Matheson scene...that one was cut back by about 40%
because the episode ran long. (That sometimes happens on dialogue-
intensive episodes.) The original version had it go over a longer
period of time, and showed him coming over gradually. It is a bit
abrupt as it is now, though I still think it plays.

jms

{original post unavailable}

We'll learn more about the box as we go.

jms

{original post had no questions}

He was referenced as an Ensign in the Cerberus scene, and a
Lieutenant in the box scene...hence the box came later.

jms

{original post had no questions}

"As for "all lies", the only lie he saw was secret execution of rebel
leaders, which, BTW, makes perfect sense."

I don't think it was so much the *lie* about them as the
executions themselves that were rather the point....

jms

Vadim Naroditsky <72133.1175@compuserve.com> asks:
> What can one do with enemies if they won't stop fighting except
> destroy them? Would Corps kill them if they voluntarily gave up
> fighting and came back to Corps? How can a person advance from a
> civilian to a first officer so fast? If it is not a secret, will
> we see Bester in Crusade?

"If it is not a secret, will we see Bester in Crusade?"

You would have, in episode 15, "Value Judgments," by Avery.
Walter considered it one of the best Bester scripts to date.

jms

Seanchai <75754.3567@compuserve.com> asks:
> Any news on that front?

No news to report.

jms