num_pages: 414
description: Note: same ISBN as volume 2 - 0979539382 (9780979539381)It's true. The creator of Babylon 5 answers 5296 fan questions covering every aspect of the show in over 100 categories in this new Babylon 5 book series.J. Michael Straczynski answered these questions as they surfaced over a period of 18 years as part of an online experiment he started in 1991 and continues to this day.This makes Asked &amp; Answered something that has never been done before with a television show: an oral history IN REAL TIME. No revisionism. Nothing forgotten. No detail spared.Because this dialogue with fans starts in 1991 it pre-dates the production of the Babylon 5 pilot so you'll discover JMS' complete vision for the series many aspects of which never made it to the screen.Even better these questions and answers include interactions on AOL Bulletin Boards GEnie Forums the moderated usenet group CIS Discussion threads and Chat Transcripts some of which are not available in archives anywhere.In addition to Babylon 5 Asked &amp; Answered includes JMS' responses to personal questions about his life politics love religion writing and more. These responses are grouped with a related B5 topic showing fans  for the first time  the provenance of the Babylon 5 philosophy and culture. All that plus JMS' real life stories behind the stories.To make this the ultimate source it took 2 years and a crew of four B5 experts  in addition to J. Michael Straczynski  to compile categorize and edit. COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT PART 4Asked and Answered Part 4 is J. Michael Straczynski's real-time history of the beginnings of Babylon 5: from before the pilot (including the online announcement of the series) and through Season 1.Part 4 is loaded with details that never made it to the screen as well as the origins of what did eventually air.As you move through the following topics youll relive what it was like to be part of Babylon 5s launch: * Announcing Babylon 5 * Creating Babylon 5 * Babylon 5 Backstory * Pre-production * Filming the Pilot * Approaching Airdate * Fan Reactions After Airing * Behind the Scenes Immediately Before &amp; After Airing * Deleted Scenes from the Pilot * Changes from Pilot to SeriesThis section also includes JMS's first archived post about the show (and its so early in the process that he even hyphenates the shows nickname as B-5). Here's just a small sampling of the details he discusses in this section:* The designing of prosthetics to prevent actors from being typecast;* The moment JMS changed Jackarr to G'Kar and why the switch was made;* The reasoning behind the design of PPGs;* The process of hiring a composer (including his interactions with pilot composer Stewart Copeland of The Police);* The development of Babylon 5s production design (including the design of the Garden the video displays throughout the station CGI for the Vorlon ship early uniforms) along with concepts that were scrapped like the Being Mover;* An early description of the chrysalis device Delenn would eventually construct across Season 1;* The announcement of each cast member along with the insider scoop on the auditions;* What happened when the cast read the script aloud for the first time;* Clues JMS told viewers to watch for in the pilot that would pay off down the line;* The unused opening narration for the pilot;* The reasons for the long delay between the pilot and the series;* Walter Koenigs reaction to seeing the pilot;* Negative feedback from industry insiders after a private screening;* The link between the pilots airing and Oprah;* The actor in the end credits of the original pilot edit who was not in the show and why;* The scenes cut from the original edit of the pilot;* A step-by-step account of how JMS re-configured the pilot for the TNT Special Edition;* The whys behind the cast changes from pilot to series;* Why JMS chose to shoot Season 1 in secret for a month before announcing that filming had begun.Following the pilot section Asked and Answered Part 4 moves into fan questions about the particulars of Season 1 with entire sections dedicated to the following episodes: * Midnight on the Firing Line * Soul Hunter * Born to the Purple * Infection * The Parliament of Dreams * Mind War * The War Prayer * And the Sky Full of Stars * Deathwalker * Believers * Survivors * By Any Means Necessary * Signs and Portents * TKO * Grail * Eyes * Legacies * A Voice in the Wilderness Part 1 * A Voice in the Wilderness Part 2 * Babylon Squared * The Quality of Mercy * ChrysalisAnd if all that wasnt enough Asked and Answered Part 4 begins with detailed insights about J. Michael Straczynskis career as a writer  a compelling look behind the scenes at the life of Babylon 5's creator.This section's topics include: how to become a professional writer tips on good writing what life is like for the average TV scribe why he doesn't put his name on freelance scripts he re-wrote how much of himself goes into his characters (and which ones) what issues are worth writing about the irony of copyright law as established by the Berne Convention the essential ingredient for all drama what he would do if he could no longer write scripts his exercise in song writing for Walkabout Gkars impact on a terminally ill patient what a showrunner thinks when he's watching other people's shows and what compels him to write.Given the depth of content inventoried here it's no surprise that Part 4 contains 1073 missives packed into 414 pages  the biggest book so far of the Asked &amp; Answered series.
language: English
title: Asked & Answered: J. Michael Straczynski Answers 5,296 Questions About Babylon 5 & Beyond. Part 4
publisher: Synthetic Worlds Publishing