How bitter was J. Michael Straczynski towards DS9?

Eh, my impression of Lost is that they had a general idea of the direction things were moving in but had no idea how to work out the details. There are some clear predictors of things that happened years later when it comes to the major things. For example, in season 2 when they first enter the hatch, Sayid remarks that cement was poured over everything, just like chernobyl. They wouldn't have tossed that in if they didn't know a nuclear bomb had been detonated there. And earlier actions taken by the black smoke monster make more sense once you know his history.

But on the other hand, I'm absolutely certain they originally had Walt as the main candidate, before the actor grew so much. That's why they set him up to be really good at games and always using the white piece.

 

I'm confused about this. Peter David did write episodes for both Babylon 5 and its spin-off Crusade. You're aware that he wrote an episode of B5, at least, since you reference that in your first sentence. Why, then, do you say he was "never tapped to write for one of the shows" when in the paragraph immediately before that, you acknowledge that he did just that?

 

I think the BiB is what Reverend was trying to get across, or at least that's how I read it.

 

I don't know if JMS was responsible for it. But one that that made me chuckle about B5(and I liked the show, don't get me wrong), is sometimes I felt like I was watching a daytime soap. The dialogue was often hilarious, bordering on campy, though it was clearly not the intention.

 

One reason that occurred to me for why the DS9 ripoff allegations are silly is that B5 borrowed a lot from LotR. Not that that's a bad thing by itself, lots of great works borrow heavily from others, but it's pretty hypocritical to bash DS9 for allegedly doing the same.

 

Wouldn't 'one of the shows' be referring to one of the Trek shows? Seems like it to me.

Jan

 

I keep thinking this thread is about how bitter Michael J. Fox is.

 

Yes, the average level of writers in TV and film is not all too high because it is all based on connections and self-marketing not skill. It is just nepotism at work.

I think the regular Star Trek writers were all better than JMS, although fanboys probably do not want to hear that.

 

Odd, I'd imagine that THAT is exactly what fanboys like to hear.

 

Depends on the fanboy.

 

Ya, because a babylon 5 fanboy will tell you how B5 is the most well written and complex story in existence.

 

Of course defending someone against claims of being 'average', when clearly they're not, is a world away from claiming that anything or everything that they've written is the most well written and complex work in existence......

 

I guess you've never talked to a B5 fanboy before.

 

Probably not, but then, I'd imagine they're little different to Star Trek fanboys or any other fanboys in general.

We're not seriously suggesting that Star Trek doesn't have fanboys are we? If so, let me know so that I can ask the hospital to have the stitches on standby for my sides.

 

Interesting to read, 2005 JMS pitched a Trek reboot to Paramount after ENT was cancelled, because he felt there was no franchise fatigue but just a lack of interest because Trek lost its way:
http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-4109

Makes me wonder: How much of his ideas in this pitch went into the JJ reboot movie?

 

Well, here is his pitch and it actually sounds like ST2009:
http://bztv.typepad.com/newsviews/files/ST2004Reboot.pdf

 

Ya I don't think there was franchise fatigue. But I also don't think it needed a reboot. It just needed fresh eyes. Star Trek turned in to an old boys club.

 

I always thought he buried the hatchet with later seasons of the show and the direction it took once RDM/Behr took over? He still has a problem with the concept I think.

 

I don't think it was franchise fatigue so much as franchise apathy. They didn't think the series was capable of quality anymore.

It's hilarious that JMS proposed a reboot of original Trek five years before ST2009 came out. Again, it falls under the 'Very base concept that anyone would have thought of' umbrella, but it's still just hilarious.