State of the Mongoose 2006 - Other Projects

[frobisher]

JMS can't write scripts and sell them for Crusade as he doesn't own the show or have rights to it.

Oh crap. So much for my hopes.

Erm, jms doesn't own Babylon 5 either... He could, quite rightly write further scripts for a continuation of Crusade - he just couldn't sell them as licensed products. WB own the rights to the show, they don't own the rights to the plot...

However, WB would be unlikely to obstrct them being licensed given the amount of dosh jms has earnt for them over the years from the B5 franchise...

 

[JanMSchroeder]

Erm, jms doesn't own Babylon 5 either... He could, quite rightly write further scripts for a continuation of Crusade - he just couldn't sell them as licensed products. WB own the rights to the show, they don't own the rights to the plot...

They own everything about the show except the movie rights. Even when the short stories were written, JMS had to have permission from WB.

However, WB would be unlikely to obstrct them being licensed given the amount of dosh jms has earnt for them over the years from the B5 franchise...

I think the point is moot anyway. JMS was asked at the Heroe's con in Charlotte this past summer if we'd ever see the Crusade story in books or any printed medium and he said "No", that it was conceived as a visual story.

I think the chances we have of seeing any of the Crusade story are only in whatever JMS writes for the script books and maybe in the Lost Tales, though he hasn't said anything about Crusade for that. He did mention that he might well touch on the Telepath War in TLT, though.

Jan

 

[sjroby]

Hmm...

From a post by JMS on December 12 available at http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated/msg/596125533d985fec?hl=en&

"The manuscripts came in on the books currently in progress, and unfortunately the level of writing is at very best amateurish, on a level somewhat below what one would find on the average fan-fiction website. In some cases the manuscripts had net handles not even actual names, they were unprofessionally put together and edited, and the writing is just not there. This is not the sort of thing that can be easily corrected with just some notes or asking for re-dos. They haven't done much publishing in the area of fiction previous to this time, and my feeling is that as well-intentioned as they might be, they don't really have the chops when it comes to fiction. And their statements on their website are again somewhat overstating the situation and not being entirely accurate in the projects and processes being announced.

"So having given a second chance to this process, and again as well intentioned as they may be, my sense is that this is going to be a case of diminishing returns. Fiction is a far more subjective field than putting together reference books, and you really have to trust the tastes and perspective of your editorial staff, which for me, subjectively, isn't here. So I've stepped back and said I really can't be a part of this process because I can't endorse something if I don't think the quality is going to be there. So it's between them and WB at this point."

 

[Poi]

I picked up a preview copy of one of the books at the B5 open day months back.

Not bad, not especially B5 though. Just used the names and places. Could have been just another SF novel.

 

[CharlieMonster]

Each volume will come with an original print from the very best of Babylon 5 artists, and anyone who collects them all will receive, free of charge, a replica of Valen’s Denn’Bok, as presented to him after the Shadow War one thousand years before the main Babylon 5 timeline.

At last, I can give that scaffolder his pole back!

 

[narrativium]

When we say a Denn'bok, do we mean extended, un-extended, something like one of those awful lightsaber toys which telescopes out, or something explosively Anla'shok?

(I refer of course to all those scenes where the pike's mode of extension packs more punch than simply hitting someone with it)

 

[MongooseMatt]

When we say a Denn'bok, do we mean extended, un-extended, something like one of those awful lightsaber toys which telescopes out, or something explosively Anla'shok?

(I refer of course to all those scenes where the pike's mode of extension packs more punch than simply hitting someone with it)

We have an extended design plotted at the moment, but we are currently investigating the manufacturing costs (it is a real beast!).

 

[JayRaider]

Any update on the B5 novels?
I know about the JMS issues and the tepid responce from forum members about the possibilty on non-cannon novels but i'm looking forward to them.
Star Trek do the novels non-cannon, some of them are better than the tv series/movies so i don't see any reason B5 can't do the same

 

[lastbesthope]

Well since ST self violates canon more than B5 does, and hasn't had canon built in so hard from iot's inception, their fans may be more willing to accept non canon material than B5 fans are in general.

LBH