We are the One

[dragonofmemory]

I am the One Who Was.  Cy is the One Who Is.  And Nar is the One Who Will Be.  We decided this because I saw it first, then I got Cy into it, and now we've gotten Nar into it.  And yes, there were some crazy nick changes involved.  <3

Anyway, you know the drill.  All comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.



Strange Relations:

"Was the song at the end a traditional tune?
No, I came up with that song for the episode, and designed it to sound like any of a zillion other such songs out there, so it'd sound familiar."

Can I mention I hate that song?  I really do.  I don't know why, but I just do.  >.<

And wow, that's all there is to say about that one.  :o  Have some Sheridan and Lochley banter to make up for it.

"Any special procedures for the scene between Lyta and Byron?
I talked to both actors involved, made sure they were okay with it, and then scripted it out in very detailed form, and shot with a closed set, just necessary crew, nobody else.

(Funny item: in the script, I'm right in the middle of describing the sex scene, and in the narrative description, I write, without even thinking about it, "I wonder which is more embarrassing, reading this or writing it?" It goes out that way.)"

Thanks for that.  It was fairly traumatizing when I was 13 years old.  I could have done without it.  His random note is really amusing though.

"Wasn't that considered a personal thing by Byron and Lyta? The other telepaths seemed to be sharing the experience.
I had the group there to further reinforce their tightness, and that it's a different way of living...as for Pat, no, no body double was used."

And it was extremely creepy.  Though I'm aware that's not always the same in different cultures, I happen to like my privacy thanks.

"Who was broadcasting Lyta's memories to the other teeps? Lyta or Byron?
It was everything being stimulated, and coming to the surface, mainly from her, but echoing off him."

Lyta, you need to stop hanging out with hippies.  While Ultimates Thor would say differently (there's a reason we don't talk Ultimates...), they aren't doing you any favors.

"Yes, Neil's episode is up next...and as for the Xon, the difference is that the Centauri main-line clashed with the Xon when both were primitive and fighting for food, resources, that sort of thing, similar to our Neanderthal - Cro Magnon struggle, whereas the Hyach did it when they were more advanced, and it wasn't a struggle, more of a program of extermination."

Yay for Neil Gaiman's episode!  Except it doesn't come up next for some weird reason.  I always sort of wondered about the Centauri's blase attitude towards their genocide.  That makes a lot more sense now. 

Again, not a lot to say...  But someone mentioned in the notes that Lyta is basically cult material... and a constant follower.  She followed both Koshes, Sheridan, and now Byron.  This seems to be another reason I probably don't get on with her character all that well. 

In the Kingdom of the Blind:

"Revealing that the Centauri were behind the attacks spoiled the surprise.
Y'know, maybe you should wait to see how this pans out before you say it's a problem. I *wanted* the audience to know the Centauri are behind this, for reasons that will become clearer in the episodes that follow.

Again, with this show, it ain't the who or the how, it's the *why*."

Dude, why do you have problems when the writer reveals something?  It's not spoilers if it's being revealed in the show.  Wasn't it a surprise when it was revealed the Centauri were behind it?  Yes, yes it was.  There.  The surprise was not ruined.  Now run along before I thwack you upside the head.

Again, that's all he had to say on that one...  Have I mentioned I won't like the Telepath arc?  It really just wasn't my thing.

A Tragedy of Telepaths:

"Why the title change?
Cat and Mouse was a) a working title which I kept out there to b) avoid possible spoiling of various directions for as long as possible."

Cat and Mouse rather works for it, even if it's not quite as showy as A Tragedy of Telepaths.

"I figured, a flock of geese, a herd of buffalo, a tragedy of telepaths...actually, though, the credit for that must go to John Copeland, who came up with it over lunch one day."

That works for me.  They are a tragic lot.  Except for Matheson.  I refuse to believe Matheson had a tragic end.  He got a happy ending, damn it.  If you're not going to end it properly, I'll end it how I like.

"Why was Na'Toth listed in the credits at the start of the episode? It spoiled the surprise.
Screen Actors Guild rules specify where you can and can't put credits, and those rules don't concern themselves with spoilers."

Everyone is so upset with ruining the surprise.  >.>  I mean really, come on, people.  It's not that bad.

"SAG rules specify where credits go; it's sometimes a bummer if you're trying to keep something secret, but there you go.

The Na'Toth thing was something I wanted to do, called Caitlin, she was up for it, and I wrote the ep."

I'm glad she came back.  Also, that was a fairly epic scene.  XD

Very short ones for these episodes.  :o  Still, there's a lot of good G'kar and Londo snark in this one, there's some good bits.

Phoenix Rising:

"How would the Byron story have been different if Claudia Christian hadn't left?
It's no secret that I would've had Ivanova becoming somewhat linked to Byron romantically (she would see him as a character like Marcus, which is why there are certain similarities, and she would take a chance only to find it wrong this time, underlining that she'd missed her one major opportunity thus far for a good relationship). This was expressed to Claudia toward the last part of S4, so she knew at that time that her latent ability would be coming out, and that she'd have a big part in S5.

In this scenario, Lyta would have become a devoted follower of Byron's, much as she has, but it would have been more love from afar: protective, somewhat unrequited but hoping for more...so that when he met his fate, Lyta would end up right where she is now, just by a different road."

Well.  That would have been interesting, though I'm glad Ivanova was kept out of the Byron stuff.  I'd have liked to see her latent ability coming out though and the big part of season 5.  T_T  Also, JMS... You really give Lyta the short end of the stick here, don't you?  Cause that's pretty harsh...

What happened to the long posts where I was only able to fit in like, four episodes per post?  Sigh.  I'm kind of sad that all of these ones only have one or two comments.  But hey, at least Byron is dead.

Day of the Dead:

"About the casting of Rebo and Zooty
Their name came up in discussions, and they just seemed a perfect match."

They are.  They really are. 

"Neil wrote for R&Z, and we looked around for casting...it occured to someone -- may have been me, maybe casting, I don't remember -- that it might be better to use a real comedy team than create one. B5 called P&T, and they said yes."

Well, why wouldn't they say yes?  I totally would have.  XD

""Was it always part of the script for Zooty to speak through a machine, or was that something added so that Teller won't have to speak on camera?"

The latter."

Now that doesn't surprise me, especially if Penn and Teller were thought of after the script.  Still, it was quite fun.

"It was originally intended to be set after "Phoenix Rising."

Okay, so that must be where Cy's discrepancy in the episodes comes in.  I guess they showed it earlier in the original broadcast, but most people stick to the intended order.

"We suggested moving up DotD because the NBA playoffs will hit after #12, and better to have 3-4 intense episodes in a row, culminating in 12, than to break up the middle, which would've been okay as a respite if there wasn't going to be a break, but since there is a break now, I want to slam the last few before it hits for more impact."

Ah, that makes sense.  Sports ruined it. 

"How much do you have to get involved in outside scripts?
It varies, I get involved to different degrees with different writers; with Neil, it was more "What do you want to write?" He noodled around with some ideas, ran one past me that he liked, and I liked it...he asked for a truckload of scripts for reference, picked the characters he wanted to use, researched them, we talked on the phone and via email a number of times as he refined his ideas further, then wrote the script. I tucked and nipped a little here and there, but pretty much left it alone."

Must have been nice, considering no one else has written a script since season two.  XD  Still, it amuses me that he needed a truckload of scripts for reference.  That's really doing his homework.

"Neil kept the humor sort of off-base...operating on the assumption that there are some things that become au courant or funny because of context: Steve Martin's "excuuuuse me," for instance. Now, it ain't funny, it's just annoying...at the time, EVERYbody was saying it and laughing. R&Z are similar cultural phenomena...their "with a machine" catchphrase, for instance, which the crowd new and reacted to. To us, and Lochely, it didn't mean anything. Lochley's reaction was tailored to be EXACTLY the same as most women's (and some guy's) reaction to the Three Stooges: either it's funny, or you can't figure out why people are laughing."

Poor Lochley.  She was the only one who didn't get it.  XD 

"Why didn't you have Marcus visit Lennier?
I didn't write it. It's Neil's script. The characters he chose are the ones he wanted to play with."

Cause let's face it... Morden is way more fun to torment Lennier with.  Also, because it makes Nar explode on the keyboard. 

"How did Neil know what Kosh's message should be?
Actually, in that scene, Neil didn't write Kosh's message. He asked what it would be, and I gave him that, knowing that I'd been looking for a way to slip that in as early as season 4."

When the long night comes, return to the end of the beginning.  XD  Yyyup, that's a Vorlon for ya.

I do love this episode.  It's just fun.  Plus, Adira is back.  <3  And Dodger, with her snarking. Dodger was always one of my favorite one off characters.  She was fun.  And naturally, Nar's favorite person comes back as well.  XD  Fun times to be had by all, with Penn and Teller along for the ride.

The Ragged Edge:

"Now that Londo is back, why doesn't Sheridan warn him about what he saw in "War Without End?"
This comes from not separating out what we the viewers know, from what the characters know.

What Sheridan knows is that 17 years from now, Londo had something on his shoulder called a Keeper, which may or may not have a direct connection with the apparent attack on Centauri Prime by Shadow allies.

What he doesn't know is, did this happen 16 years ago? Or six months ago? What process led it to happen? What should he be warning Londo *about*? He saw the result...but what process, what event should he warn Londo about to avoid this? He doesn't know that the Regent has a keeper, the Regent could be acting in these ways for his own reasons entirely.

Further, there's a certain trickiness about time stuff. Okay, so he warns Londo about something he doesn't really understand...does he now change the future? Does he have someone else other than Londo now on the throne, who won't spare his and Delenn's lives?

There are too many variables, and not enough actually known by him, to say anything that would be of any use to anyone."

Changing time is a very tricky thing.  Even the Doctor could tell you that.  'Sides, I rather think it's become a fixed point, if the prophesies for Londo are correct.  I don't think he's got many chances left to save himself, beyond saving the man who is already dead.

Again, back to the short.  Sigh.  Have some Londo and G'kar snark to make up for it.



I think I'm done for the night.  I shall post more later.