Quick comment on "... super weird Vorlon ships (even if they are primarily the result of a VFX designer finding out about animated textures)."
1) Vorlon ships are based off garlic.
2) You mean INVENTING animated textures. It had never been done before. Obviously this is impossible in model work unless you literally build a series of models and paint each one with a frame of an animation loop and swap the model out on every frame. Is it a bit dated and cheesy 30 years later? Maybe. But, in context, this was another absolutely mind blowing thing at the time... Just like how a Starfury rotating nodally on three axes is impossible with a practical model...
Well. On a different social platform you've already put up with much of my ranting about differences between the 1993 and 1997 versions of the pilot. I may have the 1993 on a tape in storage - and, if we can ever actually close a property, and I have it, I'll capture, clean, and send it to you. Let's talk production. JMS has written at length about his displeasure with the initial project. As a first time showrunner he didn't feel fully comfortable throwing his creator/EP authority around, so let director David Compton (also a Producer) lead.
Yes, some of the direction is off.
Compton would continue into the series proper, but, as he and JMS continued to butt heads, Compton would leave by mid-season 1. Maybe episode 8, but don't quite me.
Regarding being surprised it went to series? The producing network, PTEN, had been thinking about going straight to series, but TV Sci-fi at the time was expensive ("V" the series almost bankrupted NBC), and no US made non-"Star Trek" sci-fi, at the time the green light was given - had managed more than two seasons (by the time B5 season 1 properly started "Quantum Leap" would be in its third).
So, the Movie of the Week was commissioned. It was given two mandates: be completed on time and on budget, and draw a certain ratings figure. Obviously both happened.
Michael O' Hare... Poor man ended up fighting against, and losing to, a struggle with mental illness. Apparently his issued kicked in between casting and before production, and worsened greatly during s1. Perhaps the stress of jumping from a stage actor to being the nominal lead of a 5-year show kicked off the decline? Either way, it's a sad story. One JMS kept secret till O'Hare's death to help protect his career.
Tamlyn Tomita as Laurel Takishima... Is 100% dubbed. It seems she gave a more dynamic reading on-set, the suits interfered and wanted her to be more stoic, then decided her performance was too bland. Sucks for her, good for Claudia Christian.
Still, sharp eyes may note that as the assassin moves around the station, he's using Takishima's access codes. Look at door panels when they are used. Or, take my word for it, cuz who wants to re-watch "The Gathering" AGAIN! Either way, she was being set up to do something shocking in the first series finale which was moved to a different minor recurring character... (How's THAT for dancing around the spoilers?)
Delenn: yes, was initially to be male, then become female. This was changed less because of the makeup than because the voice modulation sounded terrible. You can hear the terrible voice modulation on the assassin - "There is a hole...in your mind." Yup, that's a failed attempt to make a female performer sound masculine.
We'll never ever see Delenn's gravity rings again. Probably "too powerful?"
Lyta: JMS wanted to keep her, an executive had an issue with Pat Tallman. Still... It all works out.
Londo is awesome. No notes.
G'Kar is awesome and will become more awesome.
Dr. Kyle... Dr. Franklin is a better character, but I miss the unique accent. Call it a representation thing, but I do miss getting into the series proper and basically having all the Earthforce personnel having American accents.
Guerra: Who? One of the techs in C&C. His actor will return later in a different, and better role. There is no relation between the two parts, and no one should start looking at conspiracies in plotting. They liked Ed Wasser and gave him a more important part to play. We're adults and we don't need to pull a Steven Moffat Doctor Who Season 8 waste of an episode of "Why this face?"
The 5 year arc: There is stuff in the pilot that finally plays out in seasons 2, 3, 4, and 5. If O'Hare's issues hadn't arisen there is something set up which was initially planned to pay off in the very last episode! Beginning, middle, end. Oh, it still pays off. Just earlier. (Again, dancing around spoilers) Some of the world building and exposition in "The Gathering" is clunky, but that's a writer with a five year story planned who is trying to cram too much foreshadowing in. Still, even today, a pre-planned multi-year arc is something that just doesn't happen unless it's an adaptation of a pre-existing property (I'm looking at "Game of Thrones," "Wheel of Time," and "The Expanse."). Don't throw out "X-Files," "Lost," "Heroes," or "Battlestar Galactica" as examples, because all of those are shows that threw a bunch of shit at the wall, saw what stuck, and tried to convince you it was part of a plan. They weren't.
The CGI: primitive by today's standards, but unlike anything seen at the time. The CGI and makeup would win Babylon 5 its first Emmys. The Vorlon fleet broke the record set by "Return of the Jedi" for most elements in an effects shot. Babylon 5's artists basically established the techniques and pipelines which have only started shifting in the past few years now that computer power allows real-time engines with perspective correction. B5 artists would take the techniques they developed with them to other studios and effects houses. Light wrap? Invented for B5. Combining 3D models, 2D set extensions and live footage? B5. The sequel series "Crusade" will go on to have the first camera tracked shots ever done for TV.
One of the first shows edited on AVID, one of the first shows to use remote hook ups for production (Chris Franke conducting an orchestra in Berlin from his home studio in LA), the first project of any kind to do all the post production and visual effects digitally. The show was always intended to have the CG redone and be reframed for future HD 16:9 remastering (WB improperly stored the hard drives and they were destroyed, which is why the Blu-ray is what it is - sometimes plans go astray).
The technical importance of B5 can NOT be overstated. A certain film-maker who put off certain movies in a certain "saga" after 1983 as he was waiting for "technology to catch up with [his] vision" came to discuss many things with the VFX teams.
So. "The Gathering." Not the best start, but, from here, it all gets better. Except for "TKO," and "Whatever Happened to Gray 17." Oh, "Phoenix Rising." Still, three terrible episodes of 110 is a good hit rate.
Now, on to the series proper, with "Midnight on the Firing Line," which has Starfuries. The Starfury is the best designer space fighter in all of Sci-Fi, and I will die on this hill.
Didn't realise B5 was the first fully digital post project. I think I'd assumed it was something like Terminator 2, which I think was one of the first to be digitally comped? But I guess it was still edited on film.
It's fascinating how influential B5 was and has been, despite being relatively little known. But the people who know...know.
Since my script volumes with author's commentary are currently unavailable, for now I'm working from memory... But, at an episode a week, I should have those available long before the re-watch ends.
But, yes, B5 was really ahead of its time, both in the use of long term arc storytelling, and the production methods.
If anyone following this particular newsletter are first time viewers, you should absolutely recommend the Lurker's Guide. Since it's been left in its original state as it was being built during the show's first airing, it's effectively a good way to have an online "water cooler chat" by seeing what the original fan base was picking up on and speculating about at the time. Since it IS in its original state, incorrect speculation remains intact, and it's pretty spoiler free if one just doesn't click on the links to future episodes.
And, at the bottom of each episode is selected comments from JMS posting online during the initial run, which is fun background info. For example, on the Guide page for "Midnight on the firing line, JMS talks about how they'd planned to go right to series, but the studio decided to air the pilot as a movie of the week instead and see how the ratings did. Of course, that several month delay allowed for things like cast changes, costume/makeup refinements, etc.
Not for first time watchers but for you - especially with your own filmmaking/VFX background, I link you to a rare fan site which is all interviews with techs, designers, artists and producer John Copeland. JMS IS NOT ALWAYS CORRECT IN WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT PRODUCTION OF THE SHOW. This site is basically the best available reference for information about the technical aspects of VFX, and who created what. For example, in my prior comment about a B5 artist taking his compositing techniques developed for B5 to ILM. This is my source for that fact. Or how the Starfury is a combination of the Gunstar from "The Last Starfighter," and an unused Hunter/Killer design from the Terminator franchise. You can even find out how an Omega destroyer is SUPPOSED to work. See, in "Severed Dreams" the CG teams ran out of time and cheated the Starfury launches from the Omega... When Doug Netter hosed over Foundation Imaging at the end of s3 (basically the original CG teams got fired and Doug Netter set up a new "in house" company after poaching a couple of junior artists from Foundation), the CG teams for s4 and s5 didn't actually know the true capabilities of an Omega. So we've never truly seen that Earthforce destroyer be truly scary. The 'Furies are supposed to launch from the ends of the centrifuge. The red hatches on the side (in front of centrifuge) are the launch tubes for the nuclear missiles. The protrusions on the bottom of the "hammerhead" front hull launch gigaton warheads...
Now imagine an Omega as the missiles come streaking out of their tubes with Starfuries spinning out of the centrifuge, turning, and following behind the missile strike. An Omega has a lot more firepower than the two cannons on the front...
On B5 scrolls, if nothing else read the Ron Thornton interviews. As the senior VFX producer you'll learn a lot about how their hardware was set up, design philosophy, the real reason the CG/composite shots were created in 4:3, and there's a great story involving rabbits...
I had never watched this show before (though I had heard good things), and I am so glad that you gave me the push to give it a try. I accidentally started with "Midnight on the Firing Line" because that is what was listed as the first episode on RokuTV. I am glad to hear that the series gets better; the second episode was much better than the pilot but they so often are. Never judge a series by the pilot!
'Midnight on the Firing Line' is a much better place to start, IMO! More on that next week. :D
B5 is absolutely a show that gets better and better. For my money it peaks at the end of season 4. Season 1 takes a while to get going, but by the end it has a lot of momentum, and then season 2 onwards is just better and better.
You do have to trudge through some less than stellar episodes up front, though. It's a good example of needing to give a show some breathing space to find its feet, though. Shows don't seem to get that chance on streaming services these days: they have to be megahits and perfect right out of the gate. Whereas quite a few of my favourite show started out quite wobbly, before improving drastically over time.
I feel like you ought to get a t-shirt with "It's not all about the oxygen!" on.
O'Hare never feels at home in the role, that's for sure. Except, perhaps, in 'War Without End', down the line. I like what he does there.
The recent B5 animated movie was fascinating because it offered a glimpse of what Straczynski had in mind for Sinclair. In season 1, Sinclair works best in the diplomacy scenes. Action definitely wasn't O'Hare's forte.
Garibaldi as a character is there, agreed, though I don't think Jerry Doyle has quite settled into the role yet. Doyle gets rapidly better and better over the course of the series, IMO.
Confession: I've never seen the Pilot movie! Like, I watched the series starting from "Midnight on the Firing Line," as I've read how the pilot is not a good episode and can be easily avoided in terms of continuity. It's fascinating to discover that there are actually two cuts of the Pilot, with one having been made apparently years later.
Are both cuts on the older DVD set btw? Cause I'm quite intrigued in checking them out now.
I wonder if maybe at one point the intention was to reshoot the pilot before they go to series, so it could work as a proper first episode. Like, many pilots have stuff that doesn't work and so they end up getting retooled, sometimes quite extensively, prior to the show getting picked up.
They are basically proto-episodes and I like studying what makes into the early vs. later iteration of the premiere. From the sounds of things, the show had a pretty good grasp of Londo off the bat, which is great to hear.
Yeah, it's fascinating from a production history perspective. Many of the props are a bit off kilter, such as the guns. There are many background aliens that are never seen again (and which look pretty hokey). Plus, of course, the cast changes quite considerably.
The two edits are interesting but probably quite hard to get hold of. I don't think the original is easily available these days. There's a sequence early on in which Sinclair gives the newly-arrived Lyta a tour through the 'alien sector', and in the original cut the entire thing looks like they've gone to the zoo, with glass-fronted areas that they gawp at as they walk down the corridor. Super weird, given it's supposed to be a residential area for different species. They cut that entire section for the re-edit.
I did not know about the animated movie. Filing that away for future streaming purposes, or maybe a convention showing. That could be cool and communal.
Quick comment on "... super weird Vorlon ships (even if they are primarily the result of a VFX designer finding out about animated textures)."
1) Vorlon ships are based off garlic.
2) You mean INVENTING animated textures. It had never been done before. Obviously this is impossible in model work unless you literally build a series of models and paint each one with a frame of an animation loop and swap the model out on every frame. Is it a bit dated and cheesy 30 years later? Maybe. But, in context, this was another absolutely mind blowing thing at the time... Just like how a Starfury rotating nodally on three axes is impossible with a practical model...
Well. On a different social platform you've already put up with much of my ranting about differences between the 1993 and 1997 versions of the pilot. I may have the 1993 on a tape in storage - and, if we can ever actually close a property, and I have it, I'll capture, clean, and send it to you. Let's talk production. JMS has written at length about his displeasure with the initial project. As a first time showrunner he didn't feel fully comfortable throwing his creator/EP authority around, so let director David Compton (also a Producer) lead.
Yes, some of the direction is off.
Compton would continue into the series proper, but, as he and JMS continued to butt heads, Compton would leave by mid-season 1. Maybe episode 8, but don't quite me.
Regarding being surprised it went to series? The producing network, PTEN, had been thinking about going straight to series, but TV Sci-fi at the time was expensive ("V" the series almost bankrupted NBC), and no US made non-"Star Trek" sci-fi, at the time the green light was given - had managed more than two seasons (by the time B5 season 1 properly started "Quantum Leap" would be in its third).
So, the Movie of the Week was commissioned. It was given two mandates: be completed on time and on budget, and draw a certain ratings figure. Obviously both happened.
Michael O' Hare... Poor man ended up fighting against, and losing to, a struggle with mental illness. Apparently his issued kicked in between casting and before production, and worsened greatly during s1. Perhaps the stress of jumping from a stage actor to being the nominal lead of a 5-year show kicked off the decline? Either way, it's a sad story. One JMS kept secret till O'Hare's death to help protect his career.
Tamlyn Tomita as Laurel Takishima... Is 100% dubbed. It seems she gave a more dynamic reading on-set, the suits interfered and wanted her to be more stoic, then decided her performance was too bland. Sucks for her, good for Claudia Christian.
Still, sharp eyes may note that as the assassin moves around the station, he's using Takishima's access codes. Look at door panels when they are used. Or, take my word for it, cuz who wants to re-watch "The Gathering" AGAIN! Either way, she was being set up to do something shocking in the first series finale which was moved to a different minor recurring character... (How's THAT for dancing around the spoilers?)
Delenn: yes, was initially to be male, then become female. This was changed less because of the makeup than because the voice modulation sounded terrible. You can hear the terrible voice modulation on the assassin - "There is a hole...in your mind." Yup, that's a failed attempt to make a female performer sound masculine.
We'll never ever see Delenn's gravity rings again. Probably "too powerful?"
Lyta: JMS wanted to keep her, an executive had an issue with Pat Tallman. Still... It all works out.
Londo is awesome. No notes.
G'Kar is awesome and will become more awesome.
Dr. Kyle... Dr. Franklin is a better character, but I miss the unique accent. Call it a representation thing, but I do miss getting into the series proper and basically having all the Earthforce personnel having American accents.
Guerra: Who? One of the techs in C&C. His actor will return later in a different, and better role. There is no relation between the two parts, and no one should start looking at conspiracies in plotting. They liked Ed Wasser and gave him a more important part to play. We're adults and we don't need to pull a Steven Moffat Doctor Who Season 8 waste of an episode of "Why this face?"
The 5 year arc: There is stuff in the pilot that finally plays out in seasons 2, 3, 4, and 5. If O'Hare's issues hadn't arisen there is something set up which was initially planned to pay off in the very last episode! Beginning, middle, end. Oh, it still pays off. Just earlier. (Again, dancing around spoilers) Some of the world building and exposition in "The Gathering" is clunky, but that's a writer with a five year story planned who is trying to cram too much foreshadowing in. Still, even today, a pre-planned multi-year arc is something that just doesn't happen unless it's an adaptation of a pre-existing property (I'm looking at "Game of Thrones," "Wheel of Time," and "The Expanse."). Don't throw out "X-Files," "Lost," "Heroes," or "Battlestar Galactica" as examples, because all of those are shows that threw a bunch of shit at the wall, saw what stuck, and tried to convince you it was part of a plan. They weren't.
The CGI: primitive by today's standards, but unlike anything seen at the time. The CGI and makeup would win Babylon 5 its first Emmys. The Vorlon fleet broke the record set by "Return of the Jedi" for most elements in an effects shot. Babylon 5's artists basically established the techniques and pipelines which have only started shifting in the past few years now that computer power allows real-time engines with perspective correction. B5 artists would take the techniques they developed with them to other studios and effects houses. Light wrap? Invented for B5. Combining 3D models, 2D set extensions and live footage? B5. The sequel series "Crusade" will go on to have the first camera tracked shots ever done for TV.
One of the first shows edited on AVID, one of the first shows to use remote hook ups for production (Chris Franke conducting an orchestra in Berlin from his home studio in LA), the first project of any kind to do all the post production and visual effects digitally. The show was always intended to have the CG redone and be reframed for future HD 16:9 remastering (WB improperly stored the hard drives and they were destroyed, which is why the Blu-ray is what it is - sometimes plans go astray).
The technical importance of B5 can NOT be overstated. A certain film-maker who put off certain movies in a certain "saga" after 1983 as he was waiting for "technology to catch up with [his] vision" came to discuss many things with the VFX teams.
So. "The Gathering." Not the best start, but, from here, it all gets better. Except for "TKO," and "Whatever Happened to Gray 17." Oh, "Phoenix Rising." Still, three terrible episodes of 110 is a good hit rate.
Now, on to the series proper, with "Midnight on the Firing Line," which has Starfuries. The Starfury is the best designer space fighter in all of Sci-Fi, and I will die on this hill.
Yes! Bring all the background info. Love it.
Didn't realise B5 was the first fully digital post project. I think I'd assumed it was something like Terminator 2, which I think was one of the first to be digitally comped? But I guess it was still edited on film.
It's fascinating how influential B5 was and has been, despite being relatively little known. But the people who know...know.
Since my script volumes with author's commentary are currently unavailable, for now I'm working from memory... But, at an episode a week, I should have those available long before the re-watch ends.
But, yes, B5 was really ahead of its time, both in the use of long term arc storytelling, and the production methods.
If anyone following this particular newsletter are first time viewers, you should absolutely recommend the Lurker's Guide. Since it's been left in its original state as it was being built during the show's first airing, it's effectively a good way to have an online "water cooler chat" by seeing what the original fan base was picking up on and speculating about at the time. Since it IS in its original state, incorrect speculation remains intact, and it's pretty spoiler free if one just doesn't click on the links to future episodes.
And, at the bottom of each episode is selected comments from JMS posting online during the initial run, which is fun background info. For example, on the Guide page for "Midnight on the firing line, JMS talks about how they'd planned to go right to series, but the studio decided to air the pilot as a movie of the week instead and see how the ratings did. Of course, that several month delay allowed for things like cast changes, costume/makeup refinements, etc.
http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/001.html
Not for first time watchers but for you - especially with your own filmmaking/VFX background, I link you to a rare fan site which is all interviews with techs, designers, artists and producer John Copeland. JMS IS NOT ALWAYS CORRECT IN WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT PRODUCTION OF THE SHOW. This site is basically the best available reference for information about the technical aspects of VFX, and who created what. For example, in my prior comment about a B5 artist taking his compositing techniques developed for B5 to ILM. This is my source for that fact. Or how the Starfury is a combination of the Gunstar from "The Last Starfighter," and an unused Hunter/Killer design from the Terminator franchise. You can even find out how an Omega destroyer is SUPPOSED to work. See, in "Severed Dreams" the CG teams ran out of time and cheated the Starfury launches from the Omega... When Doug Netter hosed over Foundation Imaging at the end of s3 (basically the original CG teams got fired and Doug Netter set up a new "in house" company after poaching a couple of junior artists from Foundation), the CG teams for s4 and s5 didn't actually know the true capabilities of an Omega. So we've never truly seen that Earthforce destroyer be truly scary. The 'Furies are supposed to launch from the ends of the centrifuge. The red hatches on the side (in front of centrifuge) are the launch tubes for the nuclear missiles. The protrusions on the bottom of the "hammerhead" front hull launch gigaton warheads...
Now imagine an Omega as the missiles come streaking out of their tubes with Starfuries spinning out of the centrifuge, turning, and following behind the missile strike. An Omega has a lot more firepower than the two cannons on the front...
Anyways, for you to peruse at your leisure.
https://b5scrolls.com/
Correction to the above. "David Compton," should be "Richard Compton."
Addendum:
On B5 scrolls, if nothing else read the Ron Thornton interviews. As the senior VFX producer you'll learn a lot about how their hardware was set up, design philosophy, the real reason the CG/composite shots were created in 4:3, and there's a great story involving rabbits...
I had never watched this show before (though I had heard good things), and I am so glad that you gave me the push to give it a try. I accidentally started with "Midnight on the Firing Line" because that is what was listed as the first episode on RokuTV. I am glad to hear that the series gets better; the second episode was much better than the pilot but they so often are. Never judge a series by the pilot!
'Midnight on the Firing Line' is a much better place to start, IMO! More on that next week. :D
B5 is absolutely a show that gets better and better. For my money it peaks at the end of season 4. Season 1 takes a while to get going, but by the end it has a lot of momentum, and then season 2 onwards is just better and better.
You do have to trudge through some less than stellar episodes up front, though. It's a good example of needing to give a show some breathing space to find its feet, though. Shows don't seem to get that chance on streaming services these days: they have to be megahits and perfect right out of the gate. Whereas quite a few of my favourite show started out quite wobbly, before improving drastically over time.
I hope you enjoy the watch! I'm envious. :)
I loved Delenn and Londo from the start. Could not stand Sinclair. Felt like Michael O'Hare was phoning it in half the time.
As I'm a big fan of CJ Cherryh's SF, I was thrilled to see methane breathers featured on this series. It's not all about the oxygen!
I feel like you ought to get a t-shirt with "It's not all about the oxygen!" on.
O'Hare never feels at home in the role, that's for sure. Except, perhaps, in 'War Without End', down the line. I like what he does there.
The recent B5 animated movie was fascinating because it offered a glimpse of what Straczynski had in mind for Sinclair. In season 1, Sinclair works best in the diplomacy scenes. Action definitely wasn't O'Hare's forte.
Garibaldi seemed if not fully formed than close to, but l agree, Londo was the best part about this.
That and the Tennyson quote at the end, although that may just be me because I've always loved that poem.
Garibaldi as a character is there, agreed, though I don't think Jerry Doyle has quite settled into the role yet. Doyle gets rapidly better and better over the course of the series, IMO.
Confession: I've never seen the Pilot movie! Like, I watched the series starting from "Midnight on the Firing Line," as I've read how the pilot is not a good episode and can be easily avoided in terms of continuity. It's fascinating to discover that there are actually two cuts of the Pilot, with one having been made apparently years later.
Are both cuts on the older DVD set btw? Cause I'm quite intrigued in checking them out now.
I wonder if maybe at one point the intention was to reshoot the pilot before they go to series, so it could work as a proper first episode. Like, many pilots have stuff that doesn't work and so they end up getting retooled, sometimes quite extensively, prior to the show getting picked up.
They are basically proto-episodes and I like studying what makes into the early vs. later iteration of the premiere. From the sounds of things, the show had a pretty good grasp of Londo off the bat, which is great to hear.
Yeah, it's fascinating from a production history perspective. Many of the props are a bit off kilter, such as the guns. There are many background aliens that are never seen again (and which look pretty hokey). Plus, of course, the cast changes quite considerably.
The two edits are interesting but probably quite hard to get hold of. I don't think the original is easily available these days. There's a sequence early on in which Sinclair gives the newly-arrived Lyta a tour through the 'alien sector', and in the original cut the entire thing looks like they've gone to the zoo, with glass-fronted areas that they gawp at as they walk down the corridor. Super weird, given it's supposed to be a residential area for different species. They cut that entire section for the re-edit.
I have the vcr tape version (released as a monthly "club" around 2000). Now I have
to go check which version of the alien sector they tour!
If it's the VHS version it'll be the original. Do you still have a VCR to play it on? Impressive!
I did once own the entire series on VHS. Took up a ridiculous amount of physical space. :D
It does - about 5 feet of bookshelf!
I have a combo VCR/DVD. Almost never used any more...
I think I have an old VCR edit deck up in the loft somewhere. Had a proper jog/shuttle thing on it.
Interesting! I'll do some poking around when I have the time. Would be interesting to do a comparison article at some point on my newsletter.
I'd read that!
I did not know about the animated movie. Filing that away for future streaming purposes, or maybe a convention showing. That could be cool and communal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z54XNJivHOs
It's pretty decent! I need to give it a second watch.