Breaking Down JMS' Tweets on the Upcoming Babylon 5 Reboot

[clearspira]

I want to back up a moment. JMS said he does not intend to tell the same story.

So who says he will have any of the original characters? Taking a page from BSG he could keep the station and maybe the Starfurys. Then redo all of it. No Sinclair, Delenn, Londo, or really any of those people. He told their tale after all. But the B5 setting as a ground point for something new. Could he be bringing an entirely new tale from the same point of view?

I stick by what I said in the last thread: Babylon 5 In Name Only. There are only so many elements that you can change before it becomes ''Another Show''.

And frankly, why not just make Babylon 5 The Next Generation? It reallllly seems to me that its just a cash-in. ''Why now?'' is a question that needs to be asked. Either JMS is hard up for cash or there is more at play.

[Nealithi]

I want to back up a moment. JMS said he does not intend to tell the same story.

So who says he will have any of the original characters? Taking a page from BSG he could keep the station and maybe the Starfurys. Then redo all of it. No Sinclair, Delenn, Londo, or really any of those people. He told their tale after all. But the B5 setting as a ground point for something new. Could he be bringing an entirely new tale from the same point of view?

I stick by what I said in the last thread: Babylon 5 In Name Only. There are only so many elements that you can change before it becomes ''Another Show''.

And frankly, why not just make Babylon 5 The Next Generation? It reallllly seems to me that its just a cash-in. ''Why now?'' is a question that needs to be asked. Either JMS is hard up for cash or there is more at play.

Sure. I think I mentioned it elsewhere. Hollywood hates new ideas. New ideas are a risk. But nostalgia has a built in fan base. So redo what has been done before should at least make back production costs. It makes it a safe bet.

Why now is answered with that nostalgia claim. Ignore it and it becomes another story or franchise that disappears into the background of history. Why not a B5 TNG, because it is derivative and there has been enough comparing the two series as it is. Also the end of B5 saw the destruction of the station the show is named for. So how/why would anyone put another with the same name? It was literally the fifth iteration of the Babylon station. So any next generation would be B6 or higher.

And to look at comparisons. Would you say BSG 1978 and BSG 2004 are the same show?

[CharlesPhipps]

I stick by what I said in the last thread: Babylon 5 In Name Only. There are only so many elements that you can change before it becomes ''Another Show''.

And frankly, why not just make Babylon 5 The Next Generation? It reallllly seems to me that its just a cash-in. ''Why now?'' is a question that needs to be asked. Either JMS is hard up for cash or there is more at play.

The answer seems to be that JMS tried four times plus Crusade to do Babylon Five: The Next Generation and all of them were kind of ass. The problem being that it was such a serialized show that it couldn't be continued easily, sort of like the Lord of the Rings.

I mean, who gives a shit about the Drakh?

[Al-1701]

The Starfuries are definitely coming back. Really, I think the ship designs will be mostly unchanged. The Earth Alliance will use rotating sections to generate gravity. The Minibari and Centauri will use artificial gravity, and the Narns will belt themselves in because they don't have artificial gravity but don't want to have rotating sections ruin the cool look of their ships.

[Yukaphile]

I want to back up a moment. JMS said he does not intend to tell the same story.

So who says he will have any of the original characters? Taking a page from BSG he could keep the station and maybe the Starfurys. Then redo all of it. No Sinclair, Delenn, Londo, or really any of those people. He told their tale after all. But the B5 setting as a ground point for something new. Could he be bringing an entirely new tale from the same point of view?

I stick by what I said in the last thread: Babylon 5 In Name Only. There are only so many elements that you can change before it becomes ''Another Show''.

And frankly, why not just make Babylon 5 The Next Generation? It reallllly seems to me that its just a cash-in. ''Why now?'' is a question that needs to be asked. Either JMS is hard up for cash or there is more at play.

I agree. "Why now?" Because soulless reboots have flooded the market, THAT is why.

[CharlesPhipps]

I want to back up a moment. JMS said he does not intend to tell the same story.

So who says he will have any of the original characters? Taking a page from BSG he could keep the station and maybe the Starfurys. Then redo all of it. No Sinclair, Delenn, Londo, or really any of those people. He told their tale after all. But the B5 setting as a ground point for something new. Could he be bringing an entirely new tale from the same point of view?

I stick by what I said in the last thread: Babylon 5 In Name Only. There are only so many elements that you can change before it becomes ''Another Show''.

And frankly, why not just make Babylon 5 The Next Generation? It reallllly seems to me that its just a cash-in. ''Why now?'' is a question that needs to be asked. Either JMS is hard up for cash or there is more at play.

I agree. "Why now?" Because soulless reboots have flooded the market, THAT is why.

Yes, because JMS hasn't been trying to get another B5 series off the ground for 20 years.

[Yukaphile]

He may just be so desperate for a continuation, or some kinda recognition to this great series he's willing to bend more than fans are comfortable with - like changing it to give to the "younger, more liberal crowds," and that would mean going woke. Always a possibility. Think about it, what young snob today even knows about B5? It's about confronting your mortality. It's about trying to be recognized one last time before you become a nobody and die. My feeling is JMS is biased by the idea of his legacy. Don't trust them. I could literally run down a huge list, how many IPs have already been destroyed or are about to be? Well, here they are.

Star Trek
Star Wars
Marvel
DC
Terminator
Ghostbusters
Doctor Who
Jumanji
Jurassic Park
Transformers
ReBoot
Animorphs
Cowboy Bebop
Yu Yu Hakusho
Hellsing
Ben 10
Teen Titans
Stargate
Babylon 5

They just can't help themselves.

Do you want to see President Tru - er, Clark say, "Make the Earth Alliance great again?" Jesus Christ, I DON'T. Why the fuck can't they let Trump go? HE'S GONE. Obsessing about him while failing to address the breeding grounds that created him WILL LEAD TO A REPEAT IN 2024. And frankly, they've shredded so much great art and ignored their customer base, this country has become so rotten to the core, I may be tempted to help them do it. They HAVE to keep blaming him because they do not want to blame themselves. Rising unhappiness is a dangerous atmosphere, but it is EVERYWHERE. When you treat people like dogs, expect to get bit.

Don't you dare bring up Clinton, either! I voted for Clinton, but she, likewise, IS GONE. Don't just assume because JMS is liberal that B5 is made for the liberals and conservatives should shove off, it was never made for them. THAT'S PATHETIC. B5 was egalitarian in the 1990s. Same as Stargate. Made between the fall of the wall and fall of the towers. After world wars and civil rights marches and worker protests. But before all the modern hateful divisions today. And appealing to one side and not the other is just shameful.

[Al-1701]

"Make Earth Great Again" was essentially what most of the Earth villains were all about from Home Guard to Clark himself. The difference is most people left, right, and center found this mindset disgusting in the 90's. Now, one side is enraptured with the thought of taking "their" country back for "their kind". They also find anything that doesn't cater to them as an affront to "traditional family values".

And, Trump's not gone. He's not in the White House, but he hasn't left the political arena. Republican politicians still either worship him or cower in terror of him. He's working hard to get his loyalists into positions of power to pave the way for his return. And even beyond him, his toxic worldview is held by too many people in positions of power.

[CharlesPhipps]

He may just be so desperate for a continuation, or some kinda recognition to this great series he's willing to bend more than fans are comfortable with - like changing it to give to the "younger, more liberal crowds," and that would mean going woke.

Did you miss the part where JMS was already a enormous crazy liberal? He was the guy who wanted to make Ivanova Bisexual and in a relationship with Talia in 1994. He was all about the progressive storytelling and pushing envelopes on it.

J. Michael Straczynski

I’m one of those Liberals you hear about at right-wing rallies and political stump speeches. I work in the entertainment business for television and film, and I voted for Obama. I’m pro-choice, pro-labor and pro-smart gun laws.

And what the fuck is wrong with Cowboy Bebop?

[Winter]

Sure. I think I mentioned it elsewhere. Hollywood hates new ideas. New ideas are a risk. But nostalgia has a built in fan base. So redo what has been done before should at least make back production costs. It makes it a safe bet.

Why now is answered with that nostalgia claim. Ignore it and it becomes another story or franchise that disappears into the background of history. Why not a B5 TNG, because it is derivative and there has been enough comparing the two series as it is. Also the end of B5 saw the destruction of the station the show is named for. So how/why would anyone put another with the same name? It was literally the fifth iteration of the Babylon station. So any next generation would be B6 or higher.

And to look at comparisons. Would you say BSG 1978 and BSG 2004 are the same show?

Have stories EVER been Truly Original? Star Wars started as a Flash Gorden adaptation and draws heavily from classic literature and the Heroes Journey. Star Trek was stated, by Roddenberry himself, that to be the Forbidden Planet but with a more diverse cast instead of all white guys. The Lord of the Rings is based on old stories like Beowulf, even taking names straight from the story instead of coming up with new names. Tomb Raider started as a straight up ripoff of Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones is based on old action serials that Lucas watched as a kid.

Hell, one of the most famous writers of all time, William Shakespeare, most of his works are either A) Adaptations B) Historical Pieces or C) Propaganda Pieces. Of his 37 plays only FIVE original, that we know of, and ALL of them where clearly inspired by other stories.

Originality is overrated. Nothing is new. EVERYTHING is borrowed or taken from somewhere.