The old "DS9 stole from B5" thing

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Forbin, Feb 22, 2013.

  1. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    J. Michael Straczynski posted this on Facebook:

    Ah-HA!! :lol:
     
  2. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

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    JMS pitched B5 to Paramount. Paramount declined. Shortly after, DS9 was announced.

    People who think DS9 is a ripoff simply because it used a space station setting like B5 need to get over it. Other than being space station based, they have little in common.

    So what if Paramount was pitched B5, liked the space station setting, and decided to use it for their next Trek show? No one owns such broad concepts, and it makes B5 fans look petulant to still be on about this almost 20 years later.
     
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  3. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Old Song and Dance. B5 and DS9 are my two absolute favorite shows ever, so, I'm at peace with DS9 taking on aspects of The Gathering and the two shows feeding off each other while in Production, I believe it made them both better shows. Wednesday Nights, I got to watch DS9 at 8pm and B5 at 9pm back to back on the same channel, and that was the best night in Television history.
     
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  4. Jan

    Jan Commodore Commodore

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    ...is insane. --JMS
    It's been 20 years. Who *cares*?!?!? I'm happy that here on this site, the hatchet's mostly buried and folks appreciate that they got two great shows, however they happened to start.

    Jan
     
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  5. Saul

    Saul Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'm not pissed that we have two great shows instead of one.
     
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  6. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    I agree!
    It's just nice to see somebody who was there admit "they purposely took what they liked from the B5 script and put it in the DS9 script," and were even considering stealing it outright.

    Indeed, though, what came later was two of the best space shows ever.
     
  7. Booji

    Booji Commodore Premium Member

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    I guess the peeps at Paramount really liked the name Dukat.
     
  8. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    What makes you think that this somebody isn't full of shit? I'm sorry, but just because someone worked for WB TV doesn't mean they can be considered a believable source. Many people worked there in the early 90s

    What he says doesn't even make sense, they took what they liked and put it into the DS9 script? Like what exactly? The Gathering and The Emissary have barely anything in common and how were they planning to set possibly set B5 in the Star Trek universe? That's not possible without heavy rewrites.

    That sounds more like a whiny B5 fan who can't let this stupid old story go, nobody except some annoying superfans on both sides and apparently JMS cares.
     
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  9. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

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    There's also no reason to believe he is who he says he is. It's a comment on a tech blog. It could be literally anyone. Frankly, it reads like the kind of conspiratorial nonsense you'd expect a troll to make up. I mean, Paramount was considering just using the B5 scripts as-is for their show? Come on. No studio is that stupid.
     
  10. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    I said out, dammit!
    Ah, the internet. "The evidence isn't what I want to hear, therefore the poster is full of shit and not who he says he is!" :lol:

    Whatever, I just thought it was interesting enough to post.
     
  11. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

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    Number one, it's not "evidence." It's hearsay posted in a comment section by someone who may or may not be who they say they are.

    Secondly, I don't have a dog in this fight. I just think it's naive to consider the comment credible without any further corroboration.

    Finally, the idea that Paramount would seriously consider ripping off B5 scripts wholesale is absurd. If they were to do so, it would be very, very easy to prove, and JMS would be entitled to both a writing credit and financial compensation.

    Yes, Paramount most likely was moved by the B5 pitch to make the next Trek show set on a space station. But that's inspiration, not "stealing."
     
  12. Pingfah

    Pingfah Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Personally I think all shows should be set on Space Stations.
     
  13. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    JMS posts a quote from a guy on the internet who says he was told by an unnamed person that DS9 ripped off B5. Sounds watertight!

    Apart from that, it's been 20 years. Do you think people will ever just let it go?
     
  14. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    1. Some random claims are not evidence.

    2. It's the original posters responsibility to present evidence, not ours to disprove his claims.

    3. Because you brought the story here and seem to defend the guy, the burden of proof shifted to you.

    At least explain to me what parts of The Gathering were reused for The Emissary, if you can't do that this thread is done, there's nothing to talk about, it's the same old story I've heard for years and there's still zero evidence that any of it is true.
     
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  15. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'm pissed that the guy can't spell "intact".
     
  16. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

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    The Internet has enabled combatants in fandom holy wars to petrify their hatred and relive it over and over! Bless the miracles of modern technology.
     
  17. Icemizer

    Icemizer Commodore Commodore

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    I could have sworn I saw a Minbari on the promenade.
     
  18. Sean_McCormick

    Sean_McCormick Captain Captain

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    As a big fan of both shows i find this subject fascinating purely from an intellectual point of view. I really hope, that this could be discussed in a rational and friendly manner without any wars, holy or otherwise.

    IMHO there is a good chance, that the creators of DS9 took heavy inspiration from jms's pitch of B5. Similarities in early DS9 and B5 go far beyond "set on a space station" and " leader is a commander". There is an long occupation that has ended, with the occupied peoples' hatred agains the former occupation force, which is an crumbling empire longing for past greatness, and a deeply spiritual race, in whos religion the human commander is a messiah-like figure.

    Also, from the DS9 DVD extras i learned, that initially the DS9 station was to be millenia old with the original builders long forgotten, which immedeatly left me wondering, if this was to be setup for an "great machine" plotline.
     
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  19. Avon

    Avon Commodore Commodore

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    other than spacestations, a big war and the name dukat, i dont see much in common.

    about as close an arguement is 'b5 stole being in space, aliens and the good guys having uniforms from space:1999!'
     
  20. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    I said out, dammit!
    Oh is THAT how this is supposed to work? :lol: