Re: Synopsis of JMS's synopsis of the "original arc for B5" **SPOILERS
And at the time, in his online posts, JMS was always quite open about the fact that he was adjusting and revising his plans as he went along -- which, of course, is the only sensible way to approach an ongoing series. So I was quite surprised when, some years later, I learned of the emerging myth that he'd had every scene planned out before the pilot was shot. I've heard some people say that JMS himself is promoting that view, but I'm not sure if they're misinterpreting his words or if he's actually fallen for the hype about himself and been rewriting the past.
Three, actually -- Tamlyn Tomita, Johnny Sekka, and Patricia Tallmann. He was able to bring Tallmann back a few seasons later, but that wasn't part of the plan at the time. She was fired and replaced, just like the other two. It's just that her replacement didn't get along with JMS, so he ended up firing her and bringing the first telepath back.
Yep. This is another thing he was quite open about at the time. When it became unclear whether the series would get more than four seasons, he reworked his plans for the final two seasons to fit the key points into just one season. The series finale, "Sleeping in Light," was actually filmed at the end of the fourth season, and would have aired then if the show hadn't been renewed. When it was renewed, they shot a new fourth-season finale, "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" (I think it was called), and then JMS had to construct a new story arc for the fifth season, incorporating some of the storylines he'd cut from the original S4/5 plan and some he'd had in mind for Crusade or sequel movies.
See, this is what people misunderstand about having a series preplanned. It doesn't mean you have every specific event locked into place. It means you have a number of story and character threads you want to use, and you fit them in where they work best. If your plans change and a thread doesn't fit in one place, you move things around and fit it in somewhere else.
And at the time, in his online posts, JMS was always quite open about the fact that he was adjusting and revising his plans as he went along -- which, of course, is the only sensible way to approach an ongoing series. So I was quite surprised when, some years later, I learned of the emerging myth that he'd had every scene planned out before the pilot was shot. I've heard some people say that JMS himself is promoting that view, but I'm not sure if they're misinterpreting his words or if he's actually fallen for the hype about himself and been rewriting the past.
Three, actually -- Tamlyn Tomita, Johnny Sekka, and Patricia Tallmann. He was able to bring Tallmann back a few seasons later, but that wasn't part of the plan at the time. She was fired and replaced, just like the other two. It's just that her replacement didn't get along with JMS, so he ended up firing her and bringing the first telepath back.
Yep. This is another thing he was quite open about at the time. When it became unclear whether the series would get more than four seasons, he reworked his plans for the final two seasons to fit the key points into just one season. The series finale, "Sleeping in Light," was actually filmed at the end of the fourth season, and would have aired then if the show hadn't been renewed. When it was renewed, they shot a new fourth-season finale, "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" (I think it was called), and then JMS had to construct a new story arc for the fifth season, incorporating some of the storylines he'd cut from the original S4/5 plan and some he'd had in mind for Crusade or sequel movies.
See, this is what people misunderstand about having a series preplanned. It doesn't mean you have every specific event locked into place. It means you have a number of story and character threads you want to use, and you fit them in where they work best. If your plans change and a thread doesn't fit in one place, you move things around and fit it in somewhere else.
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