Script book 5: abandoned concept for "Za'ha'dum"

[Chris Springob]

Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

OK, I don't see any threads anywhere on discussions of the actual *content* of the JMS script books. Not sure if this is the right forum for it, but the mods can move it if not.

I just finished reading script book #5. The most interesting part for me is reading the JMS-written memos for early planning on Season 3. There are certain story elements that were abandoned or the order of events were moved around. None of it would have altered the arc significantly, with the possible exception of what's said at the end of the "YEAR THREE PLANNING SHEET" memo, written on April 9, 1995 (which was after JMS had finished writing all of Season 2, but Season 2 was still in production--the actual writing of scripts for Season 3 hadn't begun yet):

Also, Sheridan's "wife" lures him to Z'ha'dum. But he knows it's a trap, and uses the opportunity to launch a massive attack on Z'ha'dum. Deep inside the planet, fighting the shadows, he appears to fall and die.

(Possible element: fleeing after Sheridan's death, they escape into B4's still-unstable time rift, emerging 20 years later, where Sheridan, vastly changed, is revived, and things are very interesting indeed. This may get postponed until year four.)

Whoa. That sounds like a rather significant deviation from the story as it was ultimately written. Any ideas as to how this idea would have ultimately played out?

 

[Jan]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

Also, Sheridan's "wife" lures him to Z'ha'dum. But he knows it's a trap, and uses the opportunity to launch a massive attack on Z'ha'dum. Deep inside the planet, fighting the shadows, he appears to fall and die.

(Possible element: fleeing after Sheridan's death, they escape into B4's still-unstable time rift, emerging 20 years later, where Sheridan, vastly changed, is revived, and things are very interesting indeed. This may get postponed until year four.)

Whoa. That sounds like a rather significant deviation from the story as it was ultimately written. Any ideas as to how this idea would have ultimately played out?

No idea. I'm hoping that it might become clearer when we see the original outline he gave to WB that's slated to be in Volume 15. Since he wrote that Draal closed the rift in WWE, though, he must have decided against that thread.

It's not the first time JMS played with the idea of going into the future. Remember that he said in the intro to Babylon Squared that he phrased it very carefully to make it ambiguous as to whether the B4 was being taken backward or forward in time.

That's one of the things I'm really enjoying about these books - seeing what threads were moved around and ideas that grew or changed.

Jan

 

[Chris Springob]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'du

Regarding B4 being taken into the future--I had assumed that that was to be part of the storyline if Sinclair had remained on the show for all five years. (It would offer a more sensible explanation for the appearance of "future Sinclair" in Babylon Squared.) But now it looks like some variation on the "going into the future" idea was under consideration well after Sheridan had been added into the mix.

 

[PillowRock]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

I'm hoping that it might become clearer when we see the original outline he gave to WB that's slated to be in Volume 15.

Actually, I kinda doubt it.

I suspect that the original outline in Vol. 15 will show Sinclair taking B4 around the time of "Sleeping in Light" (hence the older Sinclair in BSquared). This (the reference to the time rift in this memo) would be referring to some in between state of the story.

I think that it is more likely to be made clearer in the into section of the volume that includes "Z'hadum" ..... (or possibly the volume that includes WWE).

My initial impression is that this time jump most likely refers to what became Sheridan's jump forward to Centauri Prime in WWE. In this hypothesis, JMS would have eventually decided to collapse the time jump stories into one ..... as much as anything because he has always said that he didn't want to have a bunch of time travel going on. Time travel was to be a very special and unusual thing that comes up as infrequently as possible.

Of course, that is only a hypothesis based upon obviously limited information.



A different comment that grabbed my attention was a reference to a "shadow cabinet" running C Prime; comprised of Londo, Refa, Morden, and Bester. That's a very odd group to throw tegether that way (at least as we got to know them in the final form of the story).

 

[Sindatur]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

Londo, Refa, and Morden, fall into line, according to the story that was actually told (Had Refa not been killed), but, Bester? How would Bester have been worked into Centauri Prime Politics? Was Bester originally intended to be far more in bed with the Shadows?

 

[Londos6]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

A different comment that grabbed my attention was a reference to a "shadow cabinet" running C Prime; comprised of Londo, Refa, Morden, and Bester. That's a very odd group to throw tegether that way (at least as we got to know them in the final form of the story).

Wasn't "shadow cabinet" how Cartagia refered to his collection of heads?

 

[PillowRock]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

Londo, Refa, and Morden, fall into line, according to the story that was actually told (Had Refa not been killed),

Up to a point. However, Londo being a willing member in that group that far along in the story implies some different development for his character. This doesn't sound like the same Londo that gave Refa the first part of a two stage poison in order to coerce cooperation (or, alternatively, it doesn't sound like a regular grouping that Refa would agree to after that).

And, yes, Bester being involved does require some very different development of his character as it relates to the Shadows.

 

[Sindatur]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

But Londo, may have only been involved unwillingly because it was the lesser of two evils, like he was with his Keeper that he had no choice but to take, so I don't think, that is neccessarily so hard to fit in.

 

[vacantlook]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

But Londo, may have only been involved unwillingly because it was the lesser of two evils, like he was with his Keeper that he had no choice but to take, so I don't think, that is neccessarily so hard to fit in.

Following up on this, remember Londo's being forced by the Drakh in the Legion of Fire trilogy to accept certain individuals in certain governmental positions. Perhaps something similar would have been constructed for having Londo in such a shadow cabinet.

Additionally, could such a shadow cabinet idea predate the idea of having Cartagia involved so prominently in the B5 story?

 

[PillowRock]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

But Londo, may have only been involved unwillingly because it was the lesser of two evils

That's possible. However, if Londo had been as aggressive in his opposition as we saw, and Refa was still in place on Centauri Prime, then I have a hard time seeing them wanting him in a position to know what their plans were.

The Londo who was so insistent that Morden and his associates go away and poinsoned Refa to force him into a more conservative / defensive deployment of resources would not have been into that power group. A Londo who would still warrant such a position of trust from Morden and Refa would not have been acting the way that we saw.

Unless, of course, you think that they would have tipped their hand with a Keeper this early in the story. I find that unlikely. With Refa still in place and willing without that, there isn't any compelling reason to do it.

 

[PillowRock]

Re: Script book 5: abandoned concept for \"Za\'ha\'dum\"

Additionally, could such a shadow cabinet idea predate the idea of having Cartagia involved so prominently in the B5 story?

Almost certainly.