In other words, some actors from Voyager and some from Babylon 5 have moved on and had careers after their respective shows. The question was "where's B5 people"? I was unaware of anyone from Voyager doing anything else since, other than Mulgrew. But it seems like both series are equal in that respect. Thanks for correcting me, but in the end all it means is that B5's actors seem to have had the same after-series success as Voyager's actors have.
Oops.
He puts his finger on the real problem: Paramount and the BeeBees NEVER UNDERSTOOD the source of Trek's appeal or what made it work. No matter what you think of him or his work, he's absolutely right about that. You can't duplicate the success of the previous series if you don't understand WHY they were successful. You can throw in all the CGI, catsuits, and hardbodies you like, but that's not what made us love Trek.
But then most of the old timers like me have been saying that for years.
There is no doubt that Star Trek needs new writers. I'm not sure that JMS is the right person, but maybe he deserves a chance. But maybe someone new is what is really needed... someone without any connections to past shows and bagage that goes with it. What is needed is a writer with real passion for the original Trek vision and the creativity to bring it back to life. Passion and creativity are much more important than his/her resume. Star Trek needs to start looking for new talent, there are lots a young writers out there they just need to start looking.
1) Take large Star Trek based community.
2) Lightly sprinkle with the name "JMS".
3) Season with disparaging comments about Trek and how JMS could do it better.
4) Voila!
--------
"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
-James Madison
JMS deserves credit for creating a truly unigue show in B5. He basically created and SF novel for TV. All those enigmatic book covers you saw in the store but didn't read-- he brought that kind of stuff to life. I liked DS9, but B5's political plots and its relationships were heavy and entertaining stuff, much more mature and complex than most of DS9. Trek went for the glitz while B5 did some heavy stories. The PsiCorps alone was a great idea, as were the Shadows and Babylon 4. Who can forget the character Zathros?(sic) I don't know why he couldn't finish or why Sinclair disappeared. Anyhow, he'd be a good choice. Will they take somebody with a vision? Who knows.
Has JMS ever announced what "his" Star Trek show would be? When would it set? Prequel? Sequel? How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Just to many questions and not enough brain cells.
--------
I'm all for JMS taking over the Star Trek reigns once it's dead enough to oust Rick Berman.
Not unusual to see a large scale Trek fan denomination bashing his achievements with B5. There is still a significant number of Trek fans that refuse to watch or even attempt to appreciate anything in the B5 universe because, well, because it isn't Star Trek.
Talented people from other franchises that love the original Star Trek will do no harm. Coto was one such man; but as much as I appreciate Coto, his resume is nothing on JMS.
All hale King JMS...
Now all we wait for is the beheading of the Trek franchise under Rick and Mini-Rick... Let the JMS takeover begin then!
--------
"Men don't use sex to get what they want. Sex IS what they want" - Frasier
-
Quote:
I'm all for JMS taking over the Star Trek reigns once it's dead enough to oust Rick Berman.
I'm a fan of Babylon 5. I have the entire series on DVD, plus Crusade and the TV movies. But to this I must say:
No.
No. No. No. No. No.
I don't trust JMS to "play by the rules" of Star Trek any more than I would trust his buddy Harlan Ellison to run it. They're both great writers, but I tend to think they don't get Star Trek.
I'd love for him to prove me wrong. But I want to see him do it in a novel first. Prove to me that he really understands Trek. (And, no, great as it was, "Worldsinger" doesn't count.)
Quote:
There is still a significant number of Trek fans that refuse to watch or even attempt to appreciate anything in the B5 universe because, well, because it isn't Star Trek.
Probably true. But, last I checked, all of the B5 fans I know were Trek fans first. I know this isn't the case for everyone, but it certainly is for the people I've known.
The people I've known who have moderately watched both series have trashed B5 for its immaturity and often absurdly awful dialogue. Despite my best attempts, I've rarely been able to successfully defend the show when these things have been pointed out, because they were usually true. Even some of the dialogue that comes off well is pretty awful, but in the hands of Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik, some very corny lines actually come off sounding pretty good. (This is nothing new: Alec Guiness and Harrison Ford were doing the same thing nearly 30 years ago.)
Also, look at the quality of JMS' onscreen work since B5: A Call to Arms, Crusade, Legend of the Rangers. Each had its moments, but I'd rank each of these below an average episode of Enterprise.
What tears me apart is that JMS excels when it comes to epic plots. "The Coming of Shadows" is one of the single finest hours of TV ever produced. And for all of my problems with JMS' sometimes-awful dialogue, when he does get it right, he really gets it right.
Quote:
Talented people from other franchises that love the original Star Trek will do no harm.
Then why does the use of the word "reboot" scare the tar out of me? I'm hoping this doesn't mean throwing 30 years of continuity out the window, but I'm not counting on it...
Quote:
Coto was one such man; but as much as I appreciate Coto, his resume is nothing on JMS.
Well, give him a chance to build it up first. ;-)
Quote:
All hale King JMS...
Appropriately enough, "hale" means "to compel to go". Freudian slip? Certainly, I would like to compel JMS to go far, far away from Star Trek unless he can earn a lot more confidence from me.
Quote:
Now all we wait for is the beheading of the Trek franchise under Rick and Mini-Rick... Let the JMS takeover begin then!
The funny thing is, Trek was actually never to bad under Berman until Braga became a higher-up. I still would rather see someone else in charge, but something that few seem to appreciate is that Rick Berman gets a lot of things about Star Trek that others don't. He doesn't always understand what makes for good entertainment, but he knows what Roddenberry set out to do, and I get the sneaking suspicion that the messes he's prevented may be far greater than the ones he's made. I could be wrong.... but I could be right. All the same, if Berman goes, I won't be shedding any tears. But I will be watching his replacement very closely.
You want a real replacement who gets Trek? I can think of a few. Most of them are busy working on The 4400 or Battlestar Galactica at the moment, but it sounds like we have a few years to wait anyway.
--------
"You know what six movies average out to be really good? The first six Star Trek movies!" -- Fry, Futurama
read it back, didnt make any sense
Why is it fans get all up when Joe sez something about Trek?
Where's B-5 people?
Where are any of the B-5 spin offs?
Is Paramount ruining Trek, yes & no.
Berman ran it down w/ Voyager & Enterprise & Paramount shelved it for a time. Be it to let Berman's contract run out or whatever.
Now let's look at Joe.
B-5 barly got a 5th yr [remember he wraped things up in season 4?].
How about the movie spin off, Exclaber-? Yup, w/ his X-Files rip-off ep, the complete take on DSN uniforms, please be glad the show died a quick end [maybe he should have given into the sex character].
Whatelse has Joe done? Jerimiah didn't even have a full 2nd yr [thanks to Joe].
Joe, before you start tring to clean up someone else's yard, make sure your trash is cleaned up too.
-
In SEASON ONE, actually even before Babylon 5 was airing, JMS came forward and said it was a 5-year story, beginning to end, and that's it. He took a shot at Paramount even then by saying he was not looking to create a franchise. So your question "where's B5 now?" is a question someone who has either never watched the show or didn't understand its uniqueness would ask.
The B5 people? Well, I think one of them has a quest starring role on one of the biggest hits on TV right now, LOST. Claudia Christian has done occassional movie appearances. Bruce Boxleitner has also appeared in a movie or two I think. And even beyond that, where's the actors who played any character on Voyager or Enterprise? To compare an exceptional group of stage actors (such as Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik) to actors the likes of the guy who played Chakotay or Mayweather is absurd.
The ONE B5 spin-off that had the potential to be something excellent was cancelled because the network it was airing on was interfering with JMS's creative process. They wanted more sex, less character stuff, more action, and so on. JMS said there was no way he was going to work with a network that wouldn't let him do his show his way, so he pulled the plug on it. Meanwhile, we got Rick Berman who caved in to UPN's wishes for more sex, less character stuff, more action and so on. Enterprise was cancelled and is regarded as a large waste of time. Crusade is regarded (by most people who wanted a new B5 story) as a series that was about to hit its stride, much like Firefly.
You obviously know NOTHING about the behind the scenes stuff. JMS and Chris Carter (creator of the X-Files) are friends, hence the X-Files "homage" episode on Crusade. Not a rip off. Get your facts straight. The uniforms were not rip offs of DS9. DS9 was TNG uniforms but with reversed colors. And I mean really, in a sci-fi show, when you're portraying military characters, there's going to be similarities between costumes. There's only so much you can do with the idea of a futuristic military uniform.
Jeremiah didn't get a full 2nd year because again, the suits behind the scenes were stepping on his ideas and he left the show. The man has integrity for his work, and isn't content to slap something together, put the words Star Trek on it, and air it. Unlike the hack producers Star Trek has had for the past 18 years.
And I cannot believe you asked what else has Joe done? Would you like the complete laundry list or just the ones off the top of my head? Currently working on a novel, writes Amazing Spider-Man monthly, writes Fantastic Four monthly, wrote Midnight Nation (12 issue series), wrote Rising Stars (24 issue series), wrote a screenplay (one of a planned trilogy) for a Rising Stars film, wrote a graphic novel Dream Police, writes Supreme Power monthly, pitched an idea to Paramount (with series bible and all) for a new Star Trek series, had a series ready to go with Chris Carter but it fell through, had a series with someone else ready to go but it got nixed because it very closely paralleled certain events that happened on Sept.11th, 2001 (his story was written before those events). He's been told by DC Comics that if he ever leaves Marvel he's got a Superman monthly series with his name on it whenever he wants it. And so on and so on and so on.
The man's yard is quite clean, thanks. His only failing is he has a very large ego. I think he'd either need to get the reigns on that ego, or he'd have a lot of problems working under Paramount. But if left alone, he's capable of producing some very powerful TV and would do wonders with the Star Trek franchise.
Anyway, before you start slagging someone's work, get your facts straight.
-
I seem to recall Jennifer Lien having a fairly important role in "American History X" - I noticed it because an actor from each of the then-current Trek series was in the movie (Avery Brooks was the other).
Kate Mulgrew also seems to have had a rather successful stage show recently.
--------
Growing up leads to growing old and then to dying,
And dying to me dont sound like all that much fun...
-John Mellencamp
Political tags-such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth-are never basic criteria.
The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.
-Robert A. Heinlein
Samuel T. Cogley, Attorney at Law
-
And let's not forget that he's not a new talent, either. In addition to being supremely busy now, he's been around the block for a while. That includes positions on shows like "Murder, She Wrote", "The Twilight Zone" and "Jake and the Fat Man" as well as other fare like "He-Man," "She-Ra" and "Ghostbusters".
We'll ignore his credits on "Walker, Texas Ranger" though...
--------
"Serenity" is the movie "Star Wars" prequels wish they could be.
-
Correct you are. And I know I was hugely surprised when I found out he was involved in "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon back in the day. It was my favorite cartoon, and it just fit that he had some impact on it considering Babylon 5 is my all time favorite sci-fi series.
He, nor anyone for that matter, will be doing anything with Star Trek until early 2007. Paramount isn't willing to buy out Rick Berman's contract, and he's not willing to walk away from it. It's a stand off until the contract expires. Once it does, Paramount will start looking at their options. Until then, enjoy Battlestar Galactica, Alias, 24, Lost, and all the other good shows out there. I know I'm not going to be missing Berman's Crap Trek. I'm looking forward to what someone with some real talent can do.
-
I was surprised too, though I think more surprised by "Murder, She Wrote" since I'm so used to seeing his name attached to sci-fi fare.
--------
"Serenity" is the movie "Star Wars" prequels wish they could be.
-
well everybody had to start somewhere right?
I hope that in 07, Paramont decides to go with his ideas and let him run a series the way he wants to. I love Babylon 5, its one of my all time favorite scifi shows. Sure it had some cheasy episodes here and there, but damn what a kick ass show that turned out to be.
I still get goose bumps watching Sherridans fugitive fleet come back to earth to dispose President Clarke. Hell, Im getting goosebumps just thinking about watching it.
--------
Today is a fabulous day to dye - The Metrosexual Klingon.
-
He does indeed have great credentials.
And I like the attitude he has regarding the Trek franchise.
Geez, if I were the Paramount honchos, I'd give him the greenlight to produce his take on Trek, WITHOUT shutting the door in the faces of other producers with their own takes.
After all, two different Trek shows running in the same year is not without precedent.
I think most people are glad the B5 film didn't come to fruition this time around. The idea was generally received with a "meh".
I get the feeling JMS doesn't want to tack on a story to the original B5 characters, but I think a movie about Sheridan's son is one of the few concepts that will fly.
--------
The supervisor is Verizon!
(1)
| 
