The nature of the Rangers story arc

[Chris Springob]

I was just reading the JMS Prevue Magazine interview again, and I was struck by this excerpt:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>PREVUE: Then do you already have a new five-year story arc?

STRACZYNSKI: There is always a multi-year story arc involved. You have to understand that when I created the Babylon 5 series, what I had to do was in broad strokes sketch out a million years of history in both directions and in fine detail work out a thousand years of history in both directions.

PREVUE: Where does The Legend of the Rangers fit in?

STRACZYNSKI: This story takes place about two and a half years after the events of the last proper B5 episode: “Objects at Rest,” in the year 2265. I know all that happens in that time because I have to be able to refer to it in other material. So, the story is already there.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Doesn't this strike anyone else as a rather odd way of answering the question? It almost sounds like JMS is saying "there are several events in this time frame that we need to address", which is not the same as saying that this is a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Will Rangers have the same introduction-rising action-climax-resolution structure as B5 or not? I don't know that JMS really addressed that with the answer that he gave. I think it's probable that there will be the same kind of story arc as in B5 (but a "looser" arc, as with Crusade), but I wonder if he worded his answer in this way for a particular reason.


------------------

 

[Jomar]

It sounds to me like JMS was just leaving the gate open so he could go either way.

If the story starts 2-3 years after Objects at Rest and runs for five calendar years like B5, that will take it past A Call to Arms. However, it might or might not include parts of the Telepath War. On the other hand JMS could have a whole bunch of other things in his mind that he forgot (?) to tell us about.

------------------

 

[RW7427]

I know that JMS likes 5 year story arcs. Babylon 5 had a 5 year arc and from what I understand, Crusade was to have one as well. So I would think that if Rangers becomes a series it would have one to. But I think it will be a loose arc, one in which JMS could have opportunities to develop new storylines, and maybe even tie up some of the lose ends from Babylon 5 and Crusade. A loose arc would make sense to me. Anything too structured would not allow him to answer some of those B5 and Crusade questions.

------------------
Long live the Salad Rangers! We live for the Salad Bar, we die for the Salad Bar.

 

[Catheryn]

As much as some may not agree with me, it is unlikely that Crusade will ever air again as a new series.

Maybe JMS wants Rangers to run into the Crusade timeline so certain points of that story that he wanted to tell, can be told now.

Perhaps we can see the Excalibur and some of her crew again, and find out the fate of Earth.

We all know Earth survives, thanks to Sleeping in Light, but we don't know how.

Maybe this is a clever way for JMS to give us the resolution we as fans seek, and to get some personal satisfaction out of a wonderful series with great promise and a moving concept, that was killed before it had a chance to draw breath.

It makes sense to me... um... not that that means a lot!!

I like that idea... and I don't think I would feel robbed, I'd feel relieved, because then to me, Crusade as a series would not have been for nothing. The story has to have an ending... it does have an ending, we are just in the dark about it!

It's an intriguing thought at least.

------------------
"Officially, I'm a P5. Unofficially, my range is more... much more."

 

[Jomar]

In the recent article in Dreamwatch, Doug Netter was asked about Crusade and he was guardedly optomistic. However he admitted there were some big problems because all the sets were dismantled and the cast has scattered over the world. However, nothing is impossible, he said, and JMS would really like to finish the story of Crusade.

------------------