Thanks, all. My only mortal dread in putting this stuff out there is
based upon the fact that the basic *story* of the pilot movie is fairly
straightforward, the way you make a prologue to a novel fairly simple, but
plant the seeds for that which will follow. My terror is that people will
look at it, expecting ***GALACTIC EMPIRES IN COLLISION!*** and see a rather
basic story, and say, "Huh? Where's all the other stuff?"

It's in the series. Trust me. I wouldn't lie on you.

In a way, it's a question of establishing context. Take, for instance,
the two TERMINATOR movies. The plots of both are incredibly simple, and
essentially identical: Character A comes out of the future to kill Character
B; Character C also comes out of the future to stop Character A. When you
come *right down to it*, that's all the story there is. But it introduces the
background, and the context, and that informs the story. The actual *story*
in the B5 pilot is similarly basic (also for the reason that it became easier
to slip past folks)...it's the context and the characters that are introduced
that matter.

And there's a *lot* to introduce...a new universe, new technologies, new
races, NINE regular characters, histories, wars, alliances...there ain't much
room for anything too complex.

It's like a foundation poured of concrete; it ain't pretty, but it's
*solid* enough to hold one hell of a house.

And speaking of which....

Basic fact: all you can do is the *best* you can do. You do your job,
second-guess yourself into hysteria, and hope it works.

Which is a long way of saying...the B5 pilot is now complete. Nothing
remains to be done. We had the final run-through and playback on TV set
speakers (modifying a few things here and there, but not much), and now it
goes to the studio, and from there, the stations.

There was only one other modification I made today: remembering some of
the confusion and uncertainty here about how the Kosh hand scene was framed --
why it was the way it was, he said vaguely -- I decided at the last minute to
bring in Pat Tallman to record one additional line of dialogue to clarify
things. Once again, the discussion here has directly affected something in
the pilot. The criticisms, I felt, were accurate, and needed to be addressed.
This was done.

That said...it's a strange feeling knowing that this stage is now
complete. No take-backs, no second chances, nada. The film lives or dies now
on its merits, as it should be. There's exhiliration, and a measure of -- I
dunno -- hollowness, I suppose. And now the need grows to get Phase Two
going. And one way or another, it *will* get going.

For five years, people told me that B5 could never be made, that even if
you could find a studio to back it, it might never get aired; and even if you
got both those two, you'd never be able to exercise the creative control
required to make it worth the agony. Five years is just a whole lotta NOs.
But it got done. And, of course, the chorus returns about the series...but it
will get made, if I have to move heaven and earth to do it.

Onward.

jms