Actually, David, you're closer than you know...but I can't go any further
than that. We have to keep some stuff quiet until we hit the air. Which is,
frankly, my only other concern here...that as a result of this much
communication, one of two things can happen: 1) no matter HOW good it is,
expectations will be raised to a point that it's not up to the perceived hype,
or 2) the surprises are gone.

So other issues aside, that's why some things have to be held back.

I'm very cognizant of how these things tend to work...fans are fed the
usual line of how this is going to be New and Different and Spiffy, and what
you end up with is the same-old same-old, or nothing *near* the actual
product. I'd like to try and walk that line a little more closely, so that we
deliver *more* than we promise, but promise enough to get folks interested
while not giving away any surprises.

Yikes!

There are no plans to change this line of communication, but please try
to understand that that is the conundrum I constantly face when here.

That said....

A few days ago, I sat down with our line producer, John Copeland, and
production designer John Iacovelli, and we were talking about the need to move
quickly on some stuff, and how painful the process is to have the whole story
in your head, already told, really, and then have to make it all over again so
we can put it on film. "You think you've got it bad," I noted, "I've already
worked out the last scene in the last episode of the last season (#5)...and
I've still got to make Movie #1." They called me on it and asked what that
scene was.

Just to see their reaction, I told them.

They looked at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted three heads and feathers.
It was worth it. (Happily, they're sworn to secrecy.) It was also good
because I think that, even without filling in the beats in between, it gave
them a good sense of where the series was going to go.

Meanwhile...as I type this, I'm wearing this spiffy new shirt, royal
blue, with this funny triangular symbol on it...can't read it upside down like
this...it says something like BABYL-- something. I hear there are only a few
hundred others like this. Hmm. I wonder where it came from...and what on
earth I'll do with them....hmmmmmm.....

Because of the need to parcel them out carefully, a certain number will
initially go out to randomly selected Old Timers here first. To those
individuals...keep an eye on your e-mailboxes for instructions.

They look really, really, REALLY boss.

jms