BB> create a saga for TV. It wasn't so much coming up with the
BB> story, and realizing it was a TV saga, as it was, "Nobody's ever
BB> done a multi-year science fiction saga for television.
BB> As a thought-experiment, can I come up with something that
BB> would work in this medium?" This led me to the structure that
BB> became Babylon 5.
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB>
BB> Subj: B5's Military Metaphor Section: Babylon 5
BB> To: Wednesday, June 14, 1995 11:15:15 PM
BB> From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#241211
BB>
BB> As I responded in private mail, I'm drawing upon a number
BB> of military influences in the show; some from WW I, in the Great
BB> War and how WW I sort of slid into WW II; some tactical and
BB> strategic elements of WW II military; and some of the political
BB> elements that went into the Vietnam and Korean conflicts.
BB> Actual tactics and battles will vary; there's a major battle
BB> setpiece in a later episode that uses more contemporary and
BB> futuristic elements such as long-distance (thousands of
BB> kilometers) tactics, interceptors and the like.
BB>
BB> Also as I noted in email...I just learned today from someone
BB> high up in military PR in Washington that Babylon 5 is very popular
BB> with many branches of the military. They call it a "force multiplier"
BB> (morale booster) for naval and air force and ground troops (apparently
BB> the show gets shipped out to bases and to carrier/battleship groups).
BB> It's also very popular with many folks in the Pentagon and the Secret
BB> Service. (In one case, the Secret Service apparently did an analysis
BB> of one of our episodes as an exercise in character analysis of
BB> military persons under high-stress situations.) The Flying Tigers
BB> have also been very supportive of the show, even allowing us to use
BB> their symbol in the series.
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB> Subj: B5 Military Section: Babylon 5
BB> To: Thursday, June 15, 1995 10:25:12 PM
BB> From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#242354
BB>
BB> Vorlons/Shadows at the top of the force, Minbari after,
BB> Centauri, with Humans and Narns not that far apart.
BB>
BB> Er...what was the suggestion again...?
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB> -------------------------------------------------------------------
BB> **************************************************************************
BB> ***** sorso@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu **** "Every silver lining has a cloud." *****
BB> **************************************************************************
BB>
BB> What follows is a pair of analyses of two major aspects of the
BB> *Babylon 5* story arc that have recently coalesced in my mind. To
BB> some extent they are independent and could have been typed up as
BB> separate posts; however, if the first analysis is right, it would
BB> also come into play as an argument for what I advance in the second
BB> analysis. Accordingly, I'm putting both together here. Apologies
BB> if the length of this post proves inconvenient. (And apologies of
BB> another sort. At this writing I am a few hundred miles from my
BB> PC, which means (a) I have to write this without the software that
BB> lets me bounce back and forth between the text I'm writing and the
BB> Lurker's Guide to check my memory of plot details, and (b) I have
BB> to type using a keyboard that seems to have been manufactured by
BB> the makers of the Yugo. If there are factual slips, I trust they
BB> will be minor ones that do not preclude the main line of argument;
BB> and if I don't purge this post of all its typos before I transmit
BB> it, bear with me.)
BB>
BB> I. The Unified Field Theory of Conspiracies
BB>
BB> A few weeks ago, in a post that referred to the abundance of
BB> conspiracies in the Babylon 5 universe, I half-jokingly suggested
BB> we needed a Unified Field Theory of Conspiracies to simplify
BB> keeping track of things. Okay, consider the following paranoid
BB> possibility for an UFTC: All the calamitous problems lately are
BB> the work of the Shadows.
BB>
BB> Could the influence of the Shadows really be so pervasive? Let's
BB> consider what evidence is available, taking it species by species:
BB>
BB> EARTH: The Earth Alliance is afflicted by three conspiracies of
BB> note--(1) the Clark Administration's accession by means of
BB> assassination and its impletmentation of a number of distressing
BB> measures aimed to enhance its political control; (2) the dirty
BB> tricks operation being run by the group known as Bureau 13; and (3)
BB> the rogue element in Psi Corps's leadership engaged in a eugenics
BB> campaign to develop more powerful telepaths. It's been fairly
BB> clear for some time that Psi Corps is the common thread to these
BB> conspiracies. Garibaldi's treacherous aide Jack gave Garibaldi
BB> the same salute ("Revelations") that Bester gave in "Mind War."
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12
* Origin: The Richmond Connection, Richmond, VA 804-740-2186 (1:264/417.0)
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Msg : 9 of 158
From : Steve Wiser 1:264/417 .тp 20 .юн 95 19:38
To : Bill Bottke
Subj : 2 JMS compiled messages [6/
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.SPLIT: 22 Jun 95 08:57:52 @264/417 16 02/02 +++++++++++
.TID: WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 94-2151
BB> That establishes a link between the Corps and the Clark faction--
BB> a link for which there is other evidence we haven't seen, to judge
BB> by the suspicions that General Hague voiced in "All Alone in the
BB> Night." The Corps is also linked to Bureau 13 by the woman we
BB> know as "Thirteen"--i.e., the woman who managed the conspiracy
BB> seen in "Spider in the Web." Thirteen is a telepath, and Psi
BB> Corps's records have been doctored to list her as dead, thereby
BB> providing cover for her to drop out of sight and manage things
BB> from the San Diego wasteland. Where do the Shadows come in?
BB> For that you have to refer to the current four-part story now
BB> unfolding in the Babylon 5 comics (synopses available through the
BB> Lurker's Guide). It's becoming quite clear that there is some
BB> kind of Shadow presence on Mars, and Mars is also the site of a
BB> top-secret Psi Corps base. Indeed, it's evidently a base where
BB> skulduggery takes place--that's where Bester was interrogating his
BB> prisoner to lethal effect in the outset of "A Race Through Dark
BB> Places." I'm increasingly skeptical that Morden is the only
BB> human with whom the Shadows have been working.
BB>
BB> ASIDE: If this is right, then the current debate over who
BB> the traitor on B5 will turn out to be takes on a whole new
BB> twist. The comic series shows the Shadow-minions on Mars
BB> capable of mind-control over humans.
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12
* Origin: The Richmond Connection, Richmond, VA 804-740-2186 (1:264/417.0)
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Msg : 10 of 158
From : Steve Wiser 1:264/417 .тp 20 .юн 95 20:10
To : All
Subj : JMS compiled messages [6/
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.SPLIT: 22 Jun 95 08:57:52 @264/417 18 01/02 +++++++++++
.TID: WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 94-2151
BB> From: bottke@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu (Bill Bottke )
BB>
BB> =================================================================
BB> Comments, questions, or additional information should be sent to:
BB> Bill Bottke (E-mail: bottke@lpl.arizona.edu)
BB>
BB> *** Note: This is *really* the last one for a few weeks. I mean it
BB> this time!
BB> =================================================================
BB>
BB> The warrior caste was subdued by the coming of Valen, who brought
BB> the law about not killing other Minbari, and formed the Grey Council. The
BB> Rim is the edge of known space. The absolute bottom/rim gravity in B5 is
BB> about 1.2 G; the C&C gravity is about 1/3rd G.
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB> If something happens to me...nobody gets the notes. The whole POINT
BB> is that this is a personal story, told out of a personal vision. So if
BB> you want to see this story finished, it behooves y'all to keep my sorry
BB> ass alive for the next 3 years.
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB>
BB> : In your opinion, knowing what you know now, with no obligation to
BB> : stay, what is the probability that you will still be on this newsgroup
BB> : one year from now if:
BB>
BB> : 1) Nothing changes
BB> : 2) This newsgroup is moderated
BB> : 3) This newsgroup is moderated and a .creative newsgroup is also
BB> : formed.
BB> : 4) This newsgroup is moderated and an unmoderated newsgroup is formed
BB> : (much like the alt group, story ideas frowned upon)
BB> : Jay Denebeim
BB>
BB> I imagine that the odds of my continuing are pretty much the same
BB> for options 2 through 4; option 1 will eventually cause a problem, I
BB> think, the way things are going. While the group was of resaonable
BB> size, it was easier to influence things; with the mammoth increase in
BB> membership, and the increase in plot speculation, eventually the limit
BB> on what I can afford to be exposed to will have to be hit.
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB> : wrote:
BB> : > The warrior caste was subdued by the coming of Valen, who brought
BB> : >the law about not killing other Minbari, and formed the Grey Council. T
e
BB>
BB> : Holy Valen! So the warrior caste has been ticked off for 1,000 years. No
BB> : wonder they're so scary. They've held a grudge against Valen for that
BB> : long. Now all their scoffing at the prophecy and the religious caste
BB> : makes sense. Personally, I think these guys killed Dukhat to ruin
BB> : Valen's prophecy -- Revenge motivation (of course the humans could have
BB> : gotten VERY lucky and I'm wrong).
BB>
BB> : Delenn refuses to help the Children of Time because someone interfered
BB> : with Minbari religion and the results have caused her and her people to
BB> : avoid doing so to others. Valen is said to return.
BB> : So 1,000 years ago, how did Valen do his coming and going? I'm beginning
BB> : to seriously wonder is this Valen guy was a Minbari at all. Someone
BB> : subduing a violent caste sounds like manipulation. And those prophecies
BB> : do hint at more knowledge than the Minbari had at that time. Of course
BB> : he could be a Minbari with powerful friends so he could maintain control
BB> : and reign in the warrior caste AND set up the new Minbari government. Or
BB> : he could be powerful himself. Perhaps he had the help of three
BB> : triluminaries; I'm sure their powers, creatively applied, could go a long
BB> : way.
BB> : Christopher Novosad
BB>
BB>
BB> Christopher: save this message of yours and keep it at hand going
BB> into the second season, around the 10th episode or so.
BB>
BB> jms
BB>
BB> (sigh...I meant third season, wrote second...still dealing with
BB> the renewal.)
BB>
BB> Whether one becomes religious, warrior or worker caste is something
BB> that arises early on, not through birth or genetics, but what you are
BB> called to do, or feel called to do. If you believe that you are calleed
