Crusade year

[MOmega]

This I found in JMS speaks in page Crusade Project On Lurker's Guide

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>

"Crusade" would take place about 3 years after the events of season 5, in 2265.

What years would the story span?
2265-2270.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

IMHO, I should be 4 years after season 5, so in year 2266.

Reason is simple. Interstellar Alliance was found on the end of the year 2261 or early in 2262.
Movie "Call To Arms" take place close before fifth anniversary of IA. So it means, it is the end of year 2266, or the begin of year 2267, but I'm almost sure, that it couldn't be year 2265!!!

Am I rigth?

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[Joseph DeMartino]

Yes, you're right - because JMS changed his mind between the time he posted that message (months before A Call to Arms was filmed) and the time he actually started writing the thing. There are a number of changes that JMS made in the Crusade concept between planning and execution.

At one point JMS also said that the "side story"/sequel he had in mind could take place during season 5, shortly after it, or several years after it. He was still working out the details of the timing. As with B5 itself, JMS had the major events "mapped out", but left himself wiggle room in the execution to deal with real-life events.

Many of his early comments on Crusade and what kind of show it would be sound more like Rangers than the show we actually saw. In fact, I think that his original conception of the side story was much more like Rangers, with the Excalibur story as one of the elements.

Later, especially when TNT indicated it wanted to distance Crusade from B5 a bit, he split the two apart and made Crusade its own story. At that point the B5 reruns were still doing well, TNT was incredibly enthusiastic about the B5 universe and Crusade, and the pending new show had Warner Bros. thinking seriously enough about a theatrical movie to pay JMS to write a script outline for it. I suspect that JMS was thinking he might be able to get two shows on the air if Crusade did well enough, so he held Rangers in reserve.

Now that he's moved to Sci-Fi, he's trying to do Rangers first. Again, if it does well, he has a shot at completing Crusade and getting the Teep War feature film made.

JMS has always said that nothing is "canon" until it appears on the screen. So some of his comments, especially regarding "works-in-progress" have to be read in the context of when they were written, and you have to allow for him changing things if he has a better idea later.

Regards,

Joe

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

 

[Jomar]

I would guess that originally JMS intended to have Crusade or Rangers include a number of the regular B5 cast. Certainly the cast members thought so if you have read some of the interviews in the SciFi magazines. In the end TNT called the shots so the regular cast was left out with the exception of Lochley (who wasn't really regular cast) and Dr. Franklin. Maybe if the series had run long enough some of the others would have been called in for guest shots. I always thought Garibaldi should have been in the episode that took place on Mars.

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[drakh]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jomar:
I would guess that originally JMS intended to have Crusade or Rangers include a number of the regular B5 cast. Certainly the cast members thought so if you have read some of the interviews in the SciFi magazines. In the end TNT called the shots so the regular cast was left out with the exception of Lochley (who wasn't really regular cast) and Dr. Franklin.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Actually, Warner Bros. was running around trying to option (a sum of money given to get first dibs on the actor for a period of time) many of the cast, but jms advised the actors against it, feeling that it'd be better for all concerned if they negotiated an episode fee whenever the the story called for one of them to appear.

It was first with the initial production shutdown that TNT decleared Crusade a "B5" free zone.

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You are not entitled to your own opinion. You are only entitled to your own informed opinion.
-- Harlan Ellison qouting Gustave Flaubert

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

JoeDM wrote

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> At one point JMS also said that the "side story"/sequel he had in mind could take place during season 5, shortly after it, or several years after it. He was still working out the details of the timing. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do I smell a fourth series covering Season 5, Lyta and G'Kar plus 2 more years?

I have never quire got rid of the suspicion that 'River of Souls' was a pilot for a series that was never made.


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Andrew Swallow

 

[Jomar]

JMS has never said anything other than River of Souls was a standalone tv movie. I can't see any way it could lead into a series. Just my opinion

JMS also has a mind which is overflowing with ideas and if he was suddenly asked for another movie or series about B5 I have no doubt he could and would come up with something.

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[Joseph DeMartino]

I never saw anything in River of Souls that made me think "pilot" either. For what, The Adventures of Soul Hunter? "Indiana" Bryson and the Temple of Z'ha'dum? Holobrothel After Dark? I don't think there was a single story element that could have led into a continuing series. I think a Lyta-G'Kar series even less likely, not only because they would, by definition, be off exploring lesser known worlds during a largely "dead time" between galactic emergencies, but because the series would be even more expensive to produce than Crusade while featuring two characters who probably could not carry a series.

B5 was largely sold on the basis of its not being an "explore a different planet every week" show. This was the only reason anybody even came close to believing that Netter and Straczynski could do the show on the proposed budget. They figured that they could control costs by having a large, and largely self-contained regular cast under contract - meaning fewer costly guest stars per episode, and by keeping most of the stories on the station.

By the time Crusade came along, technology had both improved CGI and reduced its rendering time and cost ("good enough for TV" CGI, anyway, if not "up on a 60 foot screen" CGI.) They felt that they could do a "planet" show by using virtual sets, saving the normal costs of location shooting. But they still had the safety net of a big-ass ship and a large, ensemble cast under contract. They could still do "ship shows" and show with one, two or even no guest stars to keep costs down.

Now, imagine a Lyta-G'Kar series. You've got a small ship with few standing sets. Can't do many shipboard episodes, too claustraphobic and too boring if you go to that particular well too many times a season. You've got two lead characters, constantly on the move, which means everybody else in the show is a guest star. You never visit the same place twice. (Crusade could go to easily reassembled sets on Mars and B5 from time to time, or visit Minbari locations that already existed in the computer.) One of the things that nearly killed the original Star Trek was the "new world every week" syndrome. New worlds (even with virtual sets you need props, furniture, eating utensils, none of which should look like you picked it up at K-Mart) cost money.

I can't imagine that JMS ever gave such a notion a second thought.

Regards,

Joe

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

 

[Kribu]

With a great, sad sigh I must say that Joe has a point here. While I personally disagree about the point of G'Kar and Lyta not being able to carry a series (considering that out of all B5, one was my very favourite character and the other ended up as my favourite female character)

, I agree about the cost thing.

Also, while the idea of such a series would probably appeal to a fairly large portion of B5 fans, it's not as likely as something broader (say, a story with Rangers) to bring in many new fans not knowing the story behind those two (which would be essential, IMHO).

But it's exactly one of those stories that would deserve a book.... a few books... a trilogy-size book... certainly more than one short story which just left me wanting for more! Oh well, one can dream, right?

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"It's animal magnetism. What can I say?"
- G'Kar, A Tragedy of Telepaths

 

[GKarsEye]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by drakh:

Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino:
I think a Lyta-G'Kar series even less likely, not only because they would, by definition, be off exploring lesser known worlds during a largely "dead time" between galactic emergencies<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Not to mention the fact that they were looking for an uninhabited world, and would avoid any known to have sentient life.

Nope. Lyta was looking for a world to be colonized by telepaths, but she and G'Kar were not out scouting for such a world. Their trip was merely to explore some lesser known parts of the galaxy. Kind of a miniature Star Trek.

Presumably, Lyta would still conduct some of her telepath business while on the road, er, sky, whatever.

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"You do not make history. You can only hope to survive it."

[This message has been edited by GKarsEye (edited August 22, 2001).]

 

[Chris Springob]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I never saw anything in River of Souls that made me think "pilot" either. For what, The Adventures of Soul Hunter? "Indiana" Bryson and the Temple of Z'ha'dum? Holobrothel After Dark? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Joe--I agree with you 100%, but I must add that those series titles are hilarious.


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[drakh]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino:
I think a Lyta-G'Kar series even less likely, not only because they would, by definition, be off exploring lesser known worlds during a largely "dead time" between galactic emergencies<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Not to mention the fact that they were looking for an uninhabited world, and would avoid any known to have sentient life.



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You are not entitled to your own opinion. You are only entitled to your own informed opinion.
-- Harlan Ellison qouting Gustave Flaubert

 

[KoshN]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MOmega:
This I found in JMS speaks in page Crusade Project On Lurker's Guide

IMHO, I should be 4 years after season 5, so in year 2266.

Reason is simple. Interstellar Alliance was found on the end of the year 2261 or early in 2262.
Movie "Call To Arms" take place close before fifth anniversary of IA. So it means, it is the end of year 2266, or the begin of year 2267, but I'm almost sure, that it couldn't be year 2265!!!

Am I rigth?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

IA founded: January 2262.

5th Anniversary of IA: January 2267.

Crusade "Visitors from Down the Street" 05/13/2267


Crusade "Ruling from the Tomb",
06/15/2267

It's 2267.

Centauri Prime Book #2:
Page 1, Londo's Chronicles, 12/14/2267.
ACtA hasn't happened yet, or at least Londo hasn't heard about it.

Page 66, Londo's Chronicles, 01/09/2268.
"One Earth week or perhaps two" since the release of the Drakh plague upon
Earth.

Peter David's dates are off by 1 year. ACtA took place in January 2267.




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KoshN
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Vorlon Empire

"To Live and Die in Starlight"
pilot movie for the new series
"Babylon 5 - The Legend of the Rangers"
January 2, 2002 on The Sci-Fi Channel.
http://www.scifi.com/b5rangers/