<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/18/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

Thanks. Bruce did an excellet job in this episode, I agree.
As did everyone else. This is, in my opinion, about as flawless an
episode as we have ever made. It's one of those cases where the sum is
even greater than the sum of its parts...and the sum of its parts ain't
bad.

From here on through the next batch, the intensity level
continues to crank up.

We definitely pushed the envelope in terms of EFX this time
out; mixing and matching, and in sheer amounts of shots, and their
complexity. But the result, I think, is eminently worth the effort.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/18/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does a Shadow ship have only one crewman and can the "person"
> leave the ship once he has bonded with it? If it is only a two day
> jump from Earth to B5 why can't they get eggs to the station
> before they spoil?

Basically, it's the cost involved in transporting something as
basically trivial as eggs. Yes, it can be done, but the cost per egg
would be quite substantial, given limited space in ships. Space flight
is still very expensive.

And yes, a shadow vessel has one "core" sentient, and once in,
it's very difficult for that person to ever get out again.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/19/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Dan T. Davis <71121.1254@compuserve.com> asks:
> Also, I enjoyed seeing "The Book of G'Kar" - maybe a new
> testament? Is this the first episode that fairly directly ties in
> to either the comic or the books?

Yes, what he's writing will, in time, become the Book of G'Kar.

And correct, I went for a different feel in this episode, on
the theory that a little change is a good thing, if used to a purpose.
It's built like a series of waves, with quite moments in between.

This is the second so far to strongly tie into the comic, yes.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/19/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

I'd rather let that be answered later in this season.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/19/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was the spine that the White Star shot off the Shadow vessel
> recovered?

Nope.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/20/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Michael E. MacDonal <102371.1166@compuserve.com> asks:
> One Bad point I found was How could the Hiperion Track the White
> Star ...As Far as you have let on so far Earth force ship's are
> unable to lock on to Mimbari Ship's as Far as tracking or fire
> control goes ? Also With out you giving away too much Will we Find
> out More Soon on the Buildup of Forces to fight the shadows ..Ie:
> new war ship's or Vorlon Technology ...ect ...and if so will it
> be soon ?

The forces will continue to build over the course of this
season. The White Star would be detected because it was inside the
atmosphere, where it could be picked up by its emissions, the
disruption caused in the air by the engines, and frankly by plain
sight.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/21/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Neil Blevins <102226.3566@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will we ever find out who was the person who entered the ship,
> and does it matter?

It doesn't really matter in the long run; some poor shlub who
got conned into it.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/21/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

And then there are days when I don't remember what I had for
lunch....

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/21/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

"...I didn't think things would start moving this fast so
soon!"

Well, this is what I kinda kept trying to tell people was
coming, when they said things were moving too slowly....

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Mark D. Smith <70254.107@compuserve.com> asks:
> The question then becomes, did you even HAVE lunch?

Who can remember?

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Mark D. Smith <70254.107@compuserve.com> asks:
> I haven't seen it yet, but does this mean that a human can
> "pilot" a shadow ship and if so, would the human be sane after
> words?

Almost certainly not.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

Exactly. You need a clear and present danger, and with a
population that nearly got wiped out by the Minbari, who are skittish
to begin with, you drag out the possibility of someone else doing the
same thing and it makes it a lot easier to do what you want to do.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


John McAuley <100260.412@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you mean that a human can not pilot/ride(?) a battlecrab?

Yes.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

Thanks.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

Thanks....

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> Should we start to look with suspicion at whoever it was that
> ordered an Earth explorer ship into a sector of space in which it
> would encounter the Minbari ship carrying the Grey Council --
> which would respectfully approach the Earth ship with gun ports
> open?

No, that was an accident.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


School of Comm Arts <103111.2445@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now is this just some sort of coincidence or deliberate?

The Eternal Vigilance line is from history, not Wing Commander.
Ten Green Drazi points to the person who can name its origin.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/22/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

Er, actually, you just misspelled it too. It's not Heinline,
it's Heinlein. You were also off by one letter.

Simply in the interests of accuracy.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/23/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


{original post had no questions}

Then my job is done.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/25/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


John M. Hawkins <71742.160@compuserve.com> asks:
> You've read some history?

Yeah, there are a lot of historical parallels in here, more in
tonality than specifics in some cases like these. When things get
tight, even good people sometimes don't know which way to jump.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/26/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Gregory Courtright <73420.2643@compuserve.com> asks:
> The WhiteStar looked different in this episode then in previous -
> did you change the design?

Different camera work, mainly.

jms



<Messages from Earth>

 Posted on 2/28/1996 by J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com> to CIS


Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are Varn's People First Ones (I *believe* you said they were
> not)? Was the Great Machine built by a race of First Ones or by
> Varn's People? Is the Great Machine capable of seeing *everywhere*
> or can it be blocked (by say the Shadows or Vorlon)?

No, Varn's people aren't first ones...and the machine can be
blocked.

jms