"Ripped off" is probably a more inflammatory phrasing than most people would use for the situation. Suffice it to say, the shows' respective owners were not unaware of the other, and there was likely some bleedover here and there.
JMS on the Babylon Podcast
- Thread starter glindros
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"Ripped off" is probably a more inflammatory phrasing than most people would use for the situation. Suffice it to say, the shows' respective owners were not unaware of the other, and there was likely some bleedover here and there.
None that anyone on the B5 side has ever been able to cite. And in fact the folks at Star Trek were pretty offended by all the bullshit being flung at them about this during the startup of the two shows - finally Michael Piller said in an interview that he was getting "tired of all the whining" coming from Warners, whereupon the main promulgator of it announced in high dudgeon that an attempt had been made to keep it "dignified"
and shut up for a long time.Baseless claims did garner B5 a fair amount of early online publicity, though.
Listen to the podcast. Joe went to Paramount with the bible, the treatment, and the script for the pilot. They seemed very interested, there were calls made back and forth, and then they suddenly declared disinterest. Not long after we have a Trek show with a space station, gambling casinos, a male captain, a female first officer, and a shapeshifter in the pilot.
No, I'm sure it's all a coincidence.
Bri
The other possible explanation for that being, two groups at Paramount weren't talking to each other, and as soon as they exchanged notes and noticed the similarities between their respective projects, the non-franchise group was told to shut up for legal reasons.
I honestly have no idea what actually happened, though.
I honestly have no idea what actually happened, though.
Given Michael Piller is dead and obviously not in a position to defend his reputation, I find the fact JMS keeps bringing this claim up - which in a decade has never really gone beyond rather insulting and, naturally, self-serving inuendo - as rather trashy.
Just to carify, JMS has ****never**** said that Berman or Pillar ever did anything dishonorable. What he said is that he believed that the development department may have steered things in that direction.
Also to clarify, the message that Peter Jurasik passed along was from an *actor*, not a writer or producer.
Please, folks, JMS was asked a question and answered it. Let's not start the old argument again.
Jan
Also to clarify, the message that Peter Jurasik passed along was from an *actor*, not a writer or producer.
Please, folks, JMS was asked a question and answered it. Let's not start the old argument again.
Jan
Which in the end is most likely what happened. Simultaneous creation is a hazard of any art.
Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Carroll had both come up, independent of each other, similar ideas for stories. Carroll's Bones of the Moon had an eerie similarity to Gaiman's original plans for The Doll's House, which he scrapped (and later with Carroll's blessing turned into A Game of You). Carroll found eerie similarities in his then-unpublished novel A Child Across the Sky to Gaiman's Single to Noise.
Gaimen concluded that they both must be tuned into the same "goofy channel."
It's not the idea, sometimes, but the approach.
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Exactly. The "other possible explanation" is that this tale has grown in the telling.
That B5 was presented to Paramount or anyone other than Warners Bros was never mentioned until after DS9 was publicly announced.
Listen to the podcast. Joe went to Paramount with the bible, the treatment, and the script for the pilot. They seemed very interested, there were calls made back and forth, and then they suddenly declared disinterest. Not long after we have a Trek show with a space station, gambling casinos, a male captain, a female first officer, and a shapeshifter in the pilot.
No, I'm sure it's all a coincidence.
Bri
And both space stations are round...ish, the the captains are human, and the female first officers aren't blond, food is eaten on both shows by the crew AND the people visiting the station... yup, its a ripoff!
There are lots of interesting things on the podcast. The Crusade vs TNT info, for example. However, much of that has been publicized again and again. This is the first time the 'who came first' story was illustrated quite this blatantly.
Glad to hear he writing two unannounced projects.
Looking forward to part two.
Glad to hear he writing two unannounced projects.
Looking forward to part two.
lol, I realized everything else I posted about was in the other B5 thread. As I stated there, it was very interesting to hear the differences between Paramount and WB corporate structures. The TNT stuff as well, really illustrates how financial agendas can destroy anything worthwhile. They 100% killed Crusade. Bastards!!
I'm siked for Lensman, for sure, and I'm SERIOUSLY curious about what the 2 top secret projects are.
Looking forward to the part 2 podcast.
Bri
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