anybody know if there will be a book?

[Cern]

I was wondering, since a couple of the TNT movies were made into books. Anyone know if To Live and Die in Starlight wil follow in that tradition?

I LOVED the novelization of 3rdSpace...

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Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it.

" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion. We can not escape history. We will be remembered, in spite of ourselves. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the last generation. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose our last best hope."

 

[Jomar]

I too enjoyed the novelization of Thirdspace and thought the additional features actually improved it.

As for a book, only JMS knows.

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I always seem to be diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

 

[JackB]

I have bought and read 16 B5 books but always stayed away from the ones that were already a movie. I just figured I had already seen it. Does the books about the movies have more info in them? I just assumed they were the same as the movie. If I am wrong, then I would like to buy those as well.

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Long live www.issbabylon.com

 

[Cern]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JackB:
Does the books about the movies have more info in them? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The 3rdspace book has a subplot with Lennier and the two brothers from the beginning (the ones who hired Lyta) that made the book for me...i was disappointed when they weren't in the movie.

Plus the minor Cthulu references...

------------------
Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it.

" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion. We can not escape history. We will be remembered, in spite of ourselves. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the last generation. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose our last best hope."

 

[JackB]

Is there enough of a difference in the books and the movies to justify buying and reading them? Is it only a page or 2 different, or does the books go deeper into the story?

------------------
Long live www.issbabylon.com

 

[Jomar]

The Lennier thread runs through at least a third of the book. It also ties in with developments in the series.

I thought the book enhanced the movie and was well worth a few dollars. I also bought A Call to Arms and In the Beginning. Each book had some extra background material which cleared up a few small mysteries in the movies.

I have also bought all the books but did dispose of several of the first nine which I knew I would never read again.

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I always seem to be diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

 

[gkarfan]

What I liked about the novelization of ItB was how the book was done completely from Londo's point of view. It's still one of my favorite B5 books.

I wish they would do a novelization of Legend of the Rangers, but I doubt it will happen. I think we would have heard about it by now if Del Rey was going to put one out.

Tammy

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"We're in here! Can anyone hear us?"
"I hear you." [giggle, laugh]
"In here!"
"We are here." [giggle, laugh]
-- Londo and G'Kar in Babylon 5:"Convictions"

Tammy's Station
http://community.webtv.net/gkarfan/TammysStation

 

[Kribu]

I was just thinking that a book would actually be great. At least I could get the story then!

But I too doubt it will happen, as after all this time surely there would have been news about it.

Ah well, I'll wait for the video. There will simply have to be a video, right?

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"Isn't the universe an amazing place? I wouldn't live anywhere else." - G'Kar, B5: Rangers
Kribu's Lounge | kribu@ranger.b5lr.com

 

[RW7427]

I think a novelization of "To Live and Die in Starlight" would be cool.

And I think that Channe should write it.

------------------
Lorien: Who are you?
RW: The salad man.
Lorien: Why are you here?
RW: To be the salad ambassador.
Lorien: What do you want?
RW: Everyone to know the joys of salad.
Lorien: Do you have anything worth living for?
RW: Yes, my salad bars.

[This message has been edited by RW7427 (edited January 04, 2002).]

 

[Cern]

Kribu, have we got a video?

------------------
Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it.

" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion. We can not escape history. We will be remembered, in spite of ourselves. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the last generation. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose our last best hope."

 

[Kribu]

Well, no, but I am hoping that it will be released some day!

I think all the other movies have been released as PAL tapes anyway.

------------------
"Isn't the universe an amazing place? I wouldn't live anywhere else." - G'Kar, B5: Rangers
Kribu's Lounge | kribu@ranger.b5lr.com

 

[Lyta]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kribu:
I think all the other movies have been released as PAL tapes anyway.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

*mutters something about those lucky europeans*

I can only hope that the rest of the movies/series will be released on DVD. I hope the movies come out first since they are hardly ever shown enough and I would like to see them in DVD quality.

I would think that a novelization of this movie would be a smart move for Warner (or whoever holds those rights) but I can see why they would wait before going forward. With all the other movies/novels, there was a series to back it up with.

*raises a glass and says, here's to hoping for huge ratings on Rangers*

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Monica Hübinette | Abyss : B5 <- New & Improved!
"Ah, you seek meaning?" ~ "Yes." ~ "Then listen to the music, not the song." —Ambassador Kosh & Talia Winters

 

[bakana]

I expect to see almost everything Video released on DVD from now on. But few, if any new Tapes.
The profit margin on DVDs is so much higher that the bean counters will be pushing to Dump any current tape inventories and turning thumbs down on producing new tapes.

Not to mention the push from the Player manufacturers to get more disks out there to stimulate sales.
Expect to see a jump in the amount of DVD marketing sometime in the next few months.

As far as Novelizations go, the publishers usually insist on at least a little bit of extra material.
The script itself could be printed on about 100 pages or so. That's too small to sell well.
People buying books expect at least 250 - 300 pages for their money.

Besides, it's Knowing there is More in the book that prompts a large percentage of sales.

------------------
Do not ascribe your own motivations to others:
At best, it will break your heart.
At worst, it will get you dead."

 

[Kribu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bakana:
I expect to see almost everything Video released on DVD from now on. But few, if any new Tapes.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, yeah, I didn't mean just video as in necessarily VHS... I guess I just meant a "copy" of the movie on some media that can be bought by piece, not having to wait if it ever hits my TV screen. A *non-RCE* DVD would of course be way better than a VHS tape.

BTW, for the time being, aren't the great majority of new movies still released on both video and DVD?

As for Lyta's 'lucky Europeans' comment...

You're getting Rangers, we are not, at least not in the foreseeable future. Who is the lucky one?

------------------
"Isn't the universe an amazing place? I wouldn't live anywhere else." - G'Kar, B5: Rangers
Kribu's Lounge | kribu@ranger.b5lr.com

 

[Lyta]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kribu:
As for Lyta's 'lucky Europeans' comment...

You're getting Rangers, we are not, at least not in the foreseeable future. Who is the lucky one?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh all right ... I guess we are the lucky ones. It just doesn't always feel like it. Guess the grass is always greener ...

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Monica Hübinette | Abyss : B5 <- New & Improved!
"Ah, you seek meaning?" ~ "Yes." ~ "Then listen to the music, not the song." —Ambassador Kosh & Talia Winters

 

[Elizar]

If the telemovie does well, there will be more reason for a book to be written. I know that B5 tapes are in different formats in Europe, but are the DVD's different as well?

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-With every light is born a shadow-

 

[Kribu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Elizar:
I know that B5 tapes are in different formats in Europe, but are the DVD's different as well?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes. Not only format-wise - the North American DVDs are NTSC, while Europe uses PAL, same as with VHS - but North America is region 1 while Europe is region 2, South America is R3 (I think so at least), Australia is R4 etc; there are six regions altogether.

The region coding means, in theory, that a DVD released/bought in one region can't be played on a DVD player bought in (and set to) another region. Unless you have a multi-region or regionfree DVD player, you're stuck with playing the DVDs released for your region, and there are plenty of DVDs that are never released for all regions.

Fortunately I have a regionfree DVD player that can also handle both NTSC and PAL so I don't need to worry about that. (And I have the DVD-ROM permanently set at R1, should I come across any R1 'region-code enhanced' DVDs that cannot be played in my regionfree player.)

Confused yet?

------------------
"Isn't the universe an amazing place? I wouldn't live anywhere else." - G'Kar, B5: Rangers
Kribu's Lounge | kribu@ranger.b5lr.com

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Novelizations of TV movies are usually timed to coincide with the debut of the movie - usually they're published a few weeks before the air date. So if there were going to be an novelization of Rangers it would likely be out already.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>The profit margin on DVDs is so much higher that the bean counters will be pushing to Dump any current tape inventories and turning thumbs down on producing new tapes.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

????

1) The profit margin on DVD isn't necessarily higher than that on VHS. The per unit replication cost of DVD discs is lower than that for VHS tapes - but that does not translate into a higher profit margin. The mastering costs of DVDs are substantially higher than those for VHS, which also has to be factored into the profit picture.

2) There are around 20 million DVD players in the U.S. and around 80 or 90 million VHS tape decks. Yes, DVD is growing, but not that fast. No one is going to turn his nose up at a potential market of 80 million machines. The total profit potential of VHS tape remains higher than that for DVD - especially since most new releases are sold at "rental pricing" to video stores on their initial release. Don't expect to see movies on VHS to disappear anytime soon. Record companies are still releasing new albums on cassette, after all, a good 20 years after the CD was introduced, and for exactly the same reason - there is still a market.

Assuming that Warner Home Video does proceed with a DVD release of the rest of the series, I would expect to see the remaining TV movies released on individual discs in "plot order" as the seasons progress. So Thirdspace will be released at the same time as S4, and the remaining films released around the time S5 comes out. At some point they'll probably release a boxed set of all the movies, and I wouldn't rule out a re-release of the first two (with extras) as separate "special edition" discs if the rest of the series proves profitable. I'm eager to see the final specs on the R2 discs, as these may indicate what we can expect in the future.

Regards,

Joe

------------------
Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net