Karajorma
Regular
I'm currently working my way through all the B5 interviews in the Archive of American Television. There's some stuff in there I didn't know before, especially the stuff about Paramount actively trying to kill B5.
especially the stuff about Paramount actively trying to kill B5.
And JMS didn't exactly get rich from B5, did he?
And JMS didn't exactly get rich from B5, did he?
By Hollywood standards, no - especially as this was the first series he sold. But he did get payments for all of the hats he wore, from creator to exec. producer to writer. He didn't make as much as he could have since he didn't put his name on any of the scripts he had a hand in re-writing. And as we know, he sure as heck hasn't made anything in rerun residuals.
Yea, I sometimes find myself amazed at how twisted the world of entertainment can be. It is more than just making a lot of money (though that is the first consideration, I'd think). It is more like having to destroy what you can't have. So you want to kill it so no one else can have it, either. In short, angry and childish behavior.
Yea. It's depressingly familiar to me. Maybe I should shun JMS. My fandom seems to be the kiss of death, sometimes. Although, I seem to be doing better in recent years. Back in B5's day, I'd start watching series a few episodes before they were cancelled.
It's pretty sad. While I don't believe that anyone involved with writing DS9 saw JMS's work, it's pretty obvious that the executives had seen it and were directing DS9 to be more like B5. There are some pretty startling coincidences otherwise.
Yea. It's depressingly familiar to me. Maybe I should shun JMS. My fandom seems to be the kiss of death, sometimes. Although, I seem to be doing better in recent years. Back in B5's day, I'd start watching series a few episodes before they were cancelled.
I know the feeling. In fact, I almost didn't watch B5 when it first came out because I was so tired of watching new shows, starting to like them a lot and then they'd disappear after a few episodes. My life might have been just a little different if I'd missed it!![]()
Wow. Yes, very different. But I think you'd have heard that it was still alive after the first couple of seasons. You were meant to see Babylon 5. :angel:
I think JMS gave the Star Trek guys a detailed overview of his vision for Babylon 5. And then, suddenly, Star Trek does its first series not set on a starship but on a space station. With Star Trek's first arc-planned storyline. And a leader who become a religious figure. And... but sadly I really liked DS9, too.![]()
The question is whether Rick Berman and Michael Piller saw the overview or whether the execs (who definitely had done) suggested themes which later ended up being the main ones of the show. I suspect they didn't. Despite The Dominion supposedly having conquered hundreds of planets we don't even hear about them until season 2. If the whole show had been based on JMS's ideas they'd have existed right from the start. It would only take a few comments from executives to steer the show in a more B5 direction.
"Every episode is on the station or in those tiny runabouts - Can't we give them their own starship?"
"Can't we have a big enemy for the show? You know like an enemy race that they'll fight for most the later episodes?"
Stuff like that would easily send a creative mind to make something much more like B5. I don't think you need to choose between DS9 and B5. You can like them both. But it's only fair to acknowledge that there obviously was some theft going on.
The question is whether Rick Berman and Michael Piller saw the overview or whether the execs (who definitely had done) suggested themes which later ended up being the main ones of the show. I suspect they didn't.
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.