quote:

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Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski told fans on a B5 Usenet group that he and Dark Skies creator Bryce Zabel have put together an idea for a new Star Trek series, which he said would revive the ailing franchise. "I got together [with Zabel] and wrote a treatment earlier this year that specified how to save [Star Trek] and develop a series that would restore the series in a big way," Straczynski wrote. "I actually think it could be a hell of a show. Whether that ever goes anywhere with Paramount, who knows?"

Straczynski added that Paramount called him last year to accept an executive producer position on the currrent Trek series, Enterprise, in its upcoming fourth season, but that he declined. "The series I mentioned has nothing to do with any current series," he added. "It's a new show."

Manny Coto, who created Showtime's SF series Odyssey 5, will take over Enterprise next year as show runner. "As for Manny, he's a good writer, and left to his own devices, I think he could be a big help over there without the other powers-that-be impeding the process," Straczynski said.

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quote:

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Originally posted by PsyLiam:
I'm quite surprised and fairly skeptical that he was offered an exec producer position on Enterprise. I can't see Berman going for that, considering the negative comments he's made about post 1991-Star Trek. And he's not really got a stunning record himself (since B5 only justmanaged not to be cancelled at least twice).

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quote:

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jms also tends to have a poor showing when the words "total creative control" aren't in his contract. Paramount would never give him that, so I'd hardly see this happening.

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Could be why he declined.
 

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Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
From what I've read of JMS's posts, I'd be very surprised if he was interested at all in joining an existing Trek show. But creating another spinoff sounds like an interesting idea. All else aside, I would absolutely love to see his take on Trek.

It's a shame that the ratings would probably suck anyway, seeing as how UPN is a shit network and all that. That's the real problem that needs to be addressed these days.
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lee:
Pick one of the following responses:-

A. I think this could be a good thing, it's time for new ideas in Star Trek.

B. I hate this idea, there's nothing wrong with Star Trek under the current creative staff.

C. B5 is the spawn of the devil and JMS is the devil and Roddenberry would be spinning in his grave.

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D. He should really tie up the many loose-ends of the B5 universe before starting new ones in Trek.
 

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Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
Yes, because otherwise how would we know he's any good for the job? There's no place for loose ends in Star Trek!
 

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Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
 
And we will all come together in a better place, a better place than this. My love will guide you, my love will find you, and my love will show you the way.

Just for the record, while S5 had it's bad moments, like the song. It's plot was good with what they had. I wish Susan hadn't left, that would have contributed a lot to the show because it would have cut most of Lochley's introduction story out. At the same time it would have contributed to the dynamic between B5's commander disagreeing with the Alliance president, Susan vs. Sheridan.

Besides, Season 5 was also supposed to help launch a spin-off series. They had to introduce the telepath plot. I'm just lost on why they went with the Drakh storyline instead and skipped ahead to Crusade.
 

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Posted by Ultra Klackrent Zlatan Magnus (Member # 239) on :
 
Ah, okay, B5 is cause to recite some silly crap about love showing bullcrap, and Enterprise is bad enough to recite some silly crap about ratings bullcrap.

Egh. Go outside.
 

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
If JMS does end up working on Trek, for fuck's sake, don't let him write any dialogue.
 

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Posted by MrNeutron (Member # 524) on :
 
I'm just amazed the Tolien estate never sued the B5 production, considering how many swipes JMS made from LOTR. Mr. Morden of the Shadows, indeed!
 

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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
Besides, he keeps trying to tie up threads, but the networks won't let him.

Mark
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Lee:
Yes, because otherwise how would we know he's any good for the job? There's no place for loose ends in Star Trek!

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quote:

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Originally posted by TSN:
If JMS does end up working on Trek, for fuck's sake, don't let him write any dialogue.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jason Abbadon:

quote:

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Originally posted by Lee:
Yes, because otherwise how would we know he's any good for the job? There's no place for loose ends in Star Trek!

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Well, if they ended DS9 midway through season six, you'd say that was a pretty crappy thing to do.
(and that's exactly what we got from Crusade- not even a hint in LTOR of a resolution)

---

• They planned to reveal the fate of Lyta - she was meant to be the telepath who destroys their secret base in Matheson's flashback in "The Path of Sorrows" - but there was a scheduling conflict or something
• One of the scripted but unfilmed episodes featured Bester

I'm glad that neither of the above happened because that way we could maybe get to see a proper resolution of both, it'd be a lot more satisfying. . .
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
Crsade at least had a passable premise: LOTR ws just abyssimal.
Kung Fu space battles so bad that JMS has even said they were a big mistake.
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
Crsade at least had a passable premise: LOTR ws just abyssimal.
Kung Fu space battles so bad that JMS has even said they were a big mistake.
 

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Posted by Captain Boh (Member # 1282) on :
 
Crusade was acctually what got me watching B5

And um uh... Ghostbusters was cool
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
I always though Captain Gideon looked like Eddie Money: I always wanted him to start singing "Take me home tonight...."


Mabye I'm the only one.
 

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Posted by Ultra Klackrent Zlatan Magnus (Member # 239) on :
 
PETER PARKER'S TWIN DAUGHTERS OR SOME SHIT.
 

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Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
Spider-Man is under our radar, I think.

(Also, Peter Parker as some kind of urban spider shaman or something?)
 

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Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Tora Ziyal:

quote:

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"I got together [with Zabel] and wrote a treatment earlier this year that specified how to save [Star Trek] and develop a series that would restore the series in a big way," Straczynski wrote. "I actually think it could be a hell of a show. Whether that ever goes anywhere with Paramount, who knows?"

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sol System:
Admission: JMS's interviews and Usenet postings give me the creeps.

But: Surely part of any creative endeavor is a belief, on behalf of the creator, that the endeavor is worthwhile? I'm not sure that in itself is enough to qualify as being full of one's self.

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quote:

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No, just to clarify, though I got a call last year about coming onto
Enterprise, offering an EP position, and declined...As for Manny, he's a horrible writer, and left to his own devices, I'm sure he'll wreck the show, interference from other powers or not.

Depressingly enough, on the Trek front, Bryce Zabel (the self-admitted creator of that crummy show Dark Skies) and I got together and wrote a treatment earlier this year that specified how
to run ST into the ground faster, so that no attempt could ever be made to resurrect it. I
actually think it would be pretty horrible. Why am I telling you all of this again?

not-jms

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quote:

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Okay, people who sign message board posts are bad enough (I am capable of moving my eyes an inch upwards and to the left to see who has posted), but to leave three return carriages before signing off?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Mark Nguyen:
Yep.

Besides, jms has had exactly ONE hit, and even that was questionable. B5 never got huge ratings, and I highly doubt they'd call him in. Crusade and Rangers bombed, and Jeremiah's gone too; while all this is not necesarily his fault, it's still not a great track record.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Lee:
That's the good thing about the Lurker's Guide - it filters out all the crap and just includes any useful info about any specific episode. That way you avoid the endless self-promotion (on his part) and the sickening toadying (on the part of the regulars who provide the 'moderated' part of the group).

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quote:

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Originally posted by AndrewR:
Yes but to go around and saying that he's the saviour of Star Trek (when I think it's done quiet a nice job in Season 3 ent) is just smacking of his own self-importance.

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And I really hope that I don't have to dig up threads where people have complained about B&B....it would take too much of my time

In any case, I'm just observing the irony. Fans (and network executives I guess) are a funny bunch.
 

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Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
Seems like a pretty weak irony to me. Lee, as far as I know, is one of the more enthusiastic Babylon 5 fans on Flare. His, and my, comments were directed towards JMS as a correspondant, not as a screenwriter.

No individual poster has made all three of those claims. Like, personally, I think JMS is an overrated writer, and I am, frankly, more or less pleased with Enterprise.

And anyway, what's the big deal? Is it not the case that, post-B5, JMS has had trouble getting anything other than a comic book off the ground? (Not that I'm slighting comic books by any means.) Couldn't someone believe both that Enterprise needs something new and that JMS isn't the person to provide it, for whatever reason?
 

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Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
 
"If JMS does end up working on Trek, for fuck's sake, don't let him write any dialogue."

I'm talking about fans in general, not in specific. But I don't think I have to stretch to find complaints about screenwriting, rather than correspondence.

The thing is, whether JMS is overrated or not, thats your opinion. If you're pleased with Enterprise well, thats your opinion. I'm definitely not pleased with Enterprise, and thats my opinion. The fact that Enterprise has problems isn't an opinion, even the network executives apparantly see it, and thats saying something. So JMS may or may not be the right solution for ST, I already said I was going to sidestep that argument. But its hard to not see that something has to be done in general.

If they've decided that they have to look around for new talent, I'm all for it.

In any case, sure, JMS's record for starting new series isn't stellar. But to be honest, no one in this genre seems to be doing all that hot anyways. In the last ten years, we've seen many a failed series and the only thing that has lasted would be...Stargate SG1?
One long-lived competitor out of many (Firefly, Angel, Farscape, X-Files, Harsh Realm, Sliders, EFC, Andromeda(? not sure), Outer Limits, New Twilight Zone, The Matrix, etc.)
Oooh, I guess there's George Lucas, now there's a thought.

But seriously, if we limit ourselves to science fiction writers that have launched successful science fiction franchises, its a pretty short list and one would wonder why they don't just work on their own creations.
 

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Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
Hercules and Xena lasted a respectable number of years. Whether two fantasy shows should be lumped in with your list, though, I can't say. The X-Files can be considered a success: it's just the attempt to extnd it way beyond its natural life, as well as Carter's inability to repeat the success even after three attempts, that can be counted as failures.
 

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 

"Okay, people who sign message board posts are bad enough (I am capable of moving my eyes an inch upwards and to the left to see who has posted), but to leave three return carriages before signing off?"

What of people who say "return carriage" instead of "carriage return"?
 

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Posted by Captain Boh (Member # 1282) on :
 
I just say line
 

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Posted by Ultra Klackrent Zlatan Magnus (Member # 239) on :
 
Hard Return, babies.
 

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Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
 
Hmmm, thats a good question. What *IS* Chris Carter doing nowadays. Not that Enterprise needs any more lessons on the long drawn-out obtuse plots, but out of sheer curiosity. Anyone?

In any case, I only included his creation on the list because if we consider B5 to be a failiure after two failed spinoffs, well X-Files would have to be considered the same after, well two failed spinoffs.

The only advantage X-Files has is a theatrical movie (vs. a number of tv movies), but that should be negated soon.

I guess I would have to include Hercules and Xena due to me including Angel. But on the other hand, I only included it because Joss Whedon has demonstrated aptitude for the genre with Firefly. Meh, in the end H&X is probably not the type of influence we desire.
 

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Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
 
If you include Angel then you have to include Buffy... I'd prefer that not happen... Although I would include Lord of the Rings in the mix which makes Angel, Buffy, Hercules, and Xena "acceptable" canidates to be in the genre.

Joss Whedon is a good story-teller [like JMS], Angel was an interesting show, but I don't want that to be my type of Sci-fi. He did great on Firefly, and it has no comparison [IMO] to Angel.
 

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Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
We're not talking about these guys' initial shows being failures. They all lasted (and in some cases, outlasted) their projected runs. In terms of ability to repeat that success, though, all three - Straczinski, Carter and Whedon - are all failures.
 

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Posted by Capped in Mike (Member # 709) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by TSN:

"Okay, people who sign message board posts are bad enough (I am capable of moving my eyes an inch upwards and to the left to see who has posted), but to leave three return carriages before signing off?"

What of people who say "return carriage" instead of "carriage return"?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Lee:
We're not talking about these guys' initial shows being failures. They all lasted (and in some cases, outlasted) their projected runs. In terms of ability to repeat that success, though, all three - Straczinski, Carter and Whedon - are all failures.

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quote:

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As to the ASCII tax thing, no, but I don't see why you do it. It's not that I hate you and want you to die, but...why? We know it's you posting. Do you announce your name constantly when talking to people in real life?

And I'm still confused about being called "kid".

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You know, until you pointed it out, I never even noticed that no one else did it. I never consciously made a decision to sign posts; it seemed natural, and not doing it seems unnatural, like leaving a letter unsigned.

I know, blah blah upper corner blah blah. No one ever said custom was practical.

Must be a relic of learning to read and write back in the days of books and typewriters. Like taking the extra half-second to spell a word correctly, or using punctuation. I actively participate in one other forum besides this one, in which the average age of the participants is much higher--most of them are in their 30s or 40s--and signing posts is pretty common there.

And I said 'kid" because judging by your picture I've got at least a decade on you. And because it was a pretty damn silly thing to complain about.


Marian
 

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Posted by MrNeutron (Member # 524) on :
 
Spelling? Punctuation? On the internet? No way...
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by MarianLH:
Originally posted by PsyLiam:

quote:

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And I'm still confused about being called "kid".

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And I said 'kid" because judging by your picture I've got at least a decade on you. And because it was a pretty damn silly thing to complain about.


Marian

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From now on refer to Liam as "you wee tot."
 

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Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
 
I know that Richard Dean Anderson has an EP position on SG-1, he might also have one on Atlantis. I don't know if it's a creative role or not though [if I remember lowdown though he does have some creative input]--- Just a personal observation, I think the reason that SG-1 is so popular isn't because it's written like a sci-fi show. I think it's popular because it's writers look at it like a military show, then place them in this strange sci-fi setting. That type of thought has really come to life because they've included politics in the show for the past two or three seasons [Senator McKinsley, now VP]. It makes the show more real to bring the realworld into the show. That's more difficult with a purely scifi show like Star Trek or Andromeda. Farscape took the same concept of taking your normal average joe and putting him into the sci-fi strange, but instead of drama there is a lot more comedy... but at the same time it just isn't as believable as SG-1 for some reason.

I realize I'm rambling so I'm going to quit. But if they make Atlantis with a similar formula to SG-1 [minus the fact that they'll be stuck in another galaxy], then I think Atlantis will be just as popular as SG-1, especially if they stay concurrent.
 

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Posted by MrNeutron (Member # 524) on :
 
According to the IMDB Richard Dean Anderson doesn't have any producer credits on Stargate Atlantis.

Produced by
Robert C. Cooper .... executive producer
Peter DeLuise .... co-producer
Ron French .... co-producer
Jonathan Glassner .... co-executive producer
Michael Greenburg .... co-executive producer
Damian Kindler .... supervising producer
John G. Lenic .... assistant producer
Joseph Malozzi .... co-executive producer
Joseph Malozzi .... consulting producer
Paul Mullie .... co-executive producer
N. John Smith .... co-executive producer
Brad Wright .... executive producer
 

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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
You might be looking at the wrong page. 'url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0118480/fullcredits]THIS ONE[/url] lists him.

As EP, Rick has quite a lot of input on the show, though he tends to confine it to his character. On multiple occasions he has gotten dialogue changes to his character, especially when O'Neill does things that can be "too MacGyverish", for example. He wants nothing to do with Atlantis - as it stands he's been working only three or four days a week since season six, and his character changes in the eighth season have been to better accomodate this. Since S6, they've been shooting multiple episodes over several weeks (instead of in single-epsiode chunks) so they can maximize their Rick time.

But this is really for the Stargate forum, which I still hope we'll someday have here.

Mark
 

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Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
 
The last episode I saw, the last in S7 ?, has me slightly worried about O'neil. I really have liked his character. I hope he is able to return to active duty within a few episodes because he's really made the team complete. Without him there is no average guy being tugged on by the polar personalities around him [the history buff, the science geek, and the alien]. The show's dynamic isn't the same without O'neil.
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
I'll say one thing for SG1: they have the BEST time-loop episode in all of sci-fi.

T'Alc in a golfer's outfit using the stargate to hit the ball lightyears away is priceless.
 

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Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
"That's gotta be a record."
 

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Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by MarianLH:
He didn't say he was the saviour of Star Trek. Just that could be a saviour of Star Trek. Bit of a difference, there.


Marian

---

Either way - it smacks of arrogance and delusions of self-grandeur. I mean just to spout off that he has an idea that WILL WORK, that can SAVE TREK... I mean - Major Barclow could say that.

Anyway I can't see JMS working under Berman or the Paramount suits that denied him way back in the early nineties. And as bad as it sounds - Trek is in the hands of the suits - and if JMS had problems with TNT I'm sure he can expect them with Viacom!
 

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Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by MarianLH:
Must be a relic of learning to read and write back in the days of books and typewriters. Like taking the extra half-second to spell a word correctly, or using punctuation.

---

Well, aren't you the almight king of writing land?
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
I'm the knig of Spelling land.
 

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Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
 
"Anyway I can't see JMS working under Berman ...[snip]"

Well, yes

http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?ID=1-17119

quote:

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There's some misinterpretations of what I said going around...so let's address
them.

>Well - the now verified (from the horse's mouth, so to speak) fact
>that JMS WAS approached on the possibility of taking the reins of Star
>Trek: Enterprise (and wisely turned that down - gag, hack, hack)

Nope. I said that Paramount approached me about coming on board as an EP, not
show-runner position. Berman and Braga would still have run the thing. I
didn't feel that I could function best in that arrangement.

As for the treatment Bryce and I wrote for another Trek series, as I said, we
wrote it on our own, NOT as an assignment from Paramount.

Just in the interests of accuracy.

jms

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Jason Abbadon:
I'll say one thing for SG1: they have the BEST time-loop episode in all of sci-fi.

T'Alc in a golfer's outfit using the stargate to hit the ball lightyears away is priceless.

---

quote:

---

Either way - it smacks of arrogance and delusions of self-grandeur.

---

quote:

---

Anyway I can't see JMS working under Berman or the Paramount suits that denied him way back in the early nineties. And as bad as it sounds - Trek is in the hands of the suits - and if JMS had problems with TNT I'm sure he can expect them with Viacom!

---

quote:

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Well, aren't you the almight king of writing land?

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You mean "almighty."



Marian
 

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