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Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales Trailer Posted
Posted by
Zonk
on Mon Jun 25, 2007 04:29 AM
from the shiny-new-space-station dept.
from the shiny-new-space-station dept.
Space writes "The trailer for the upcoming movie Babylon 5: The Lost Tales — Voices in the Dark has been posted at the official Babylon 5 site. The movie's pre-production was mentioned in a previous discussion. For more on the creation of the film, the CG Society has an ongoing series of articles about the production's effects development."
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Babylon 5 Direct-To-DVD Project In Production 194 comments
ajs writes "As previously announced, 'Babylon 5: The Lost Tales' is a direct-to-DVD project based on the popular series from the mid-1990s. Lost Tales first DVD, titled 'Voices of the Dark' has now begun production. As usual, J. Michael Straczynski and Doug Netter will be running the show with Straczynski directing. The characters, President John Sheridan (Boxleitner), Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Scoggins) and the technomage Galen (Woodward) are returning. The Lost Tales is an anthology series of sorts with two movies (previously three) per DVD starting in 2007. Straczynski has commented on Usenet that a more CG-intensive installment is coming in the next batch, featuring the character of Michael Garibaldi (Doyle)."
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Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales Trailer Posted
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Hideous Web Site (Score:5, Informative)
(http://hexapodia.blogspot.com/)
Someone should send it to Z'ha'dum to die.
Re:Hideous Web Site (Score:5, Funny)
Babylon 5 was great... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Babylon 5 was great... (Score:5, Funny)
Quark was the best
Another Video Diary (Score:4, Informative)
Among other things you get a longer glimpse at the space battle scene shown in the trailer.
Link to Trailer (Score:2)
A direct link to a trailer mirror (Score:5, Informative)
Babylon 5 - The Straight to DVD Tales (Score:2, Funny)
(http://www.designpoolstudio.com/)
I'm also glad I'm able to notice the cheesy CG in an artifact ridden 300 x 400 flash movie. That means it'll be extra cheesy in it's full DVD glory.
Phew.
Re:Babylon 5 - The Straight to DVD Tales (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://slashdot.org/)
I didn't find the effects particularely cheesy there, I'm sorry if you did.
On the other hand, B5 always had to survive on a shoe string budget. One quoted number was that it at most for one episode, B5 got about 25% of what it cost to produce one Star Trek episode. With that in mind, I'm quite impressed with what they accomplished.
I always admired the designs and ideas of B5 and thought them to be inventive, ingenious and on the whole quite beautiful. Even if you're of course often more aware that you're watching CG, mostly due to the restrictive budget from what I can tell.
Welcome to 7 years ago... (Score:1, Flamebait)
(http://unusedusername.com/)
Geez that website reminds me of myspace
Richard Biggs a.k.a Dr. Frankelin (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Richard Biggs a.k.a Dr. Frankelin (Score:5, Informative)
Richard Biggs [wikipedia.org] tragically died at age 44 because of an aortic dissection.
Fortunately JMS has decided not to racast these roles.
Re:Richard Biggs a.k.a Dr. Frankelin (Score:5, Informative)
passion that cannot be described -- was diagnosed with lung cancer,
which by then had already spread to other areas. He quit smoking at
once and went on a healthy diet and vitamin program, but there was
little hope of a good resolution even though the new regimen was very
good for him. When we spoke about it, he laughed, and said, "Now that
I'm dying I've never felt better!"
His spirits were always up and positive, putting everyone at ease about
his condition, because...well, that's the kind of person he was.
A couple of months ago, he and his wife convened a dinner with me,
Doug, and Peter Jurasik, which was filled with laughter and stories and
good food. He wanted to know all the stories we never told him
because, as he said, "Who am I going to tell?" So we did. Because we
knew we were saying goodbye, and there would not be a second chance.
Last night, in the company of his wife and family, Andreas closed his
eyes and went away.
He lived an amazing life...full of travel and wonder and good
work...was part of the world renowned Peter Brook company...he saw the
planet, loved and was loved, ate at great restaurants, smoked too many
cigarettes...he lived a life some people would die for.
And, sadly, due to the last part of that equation...he did.
Memorial arrangements are still being worked out, but will doubtless be
private.
Andreas is gone...and G'Kar with him, because no one else can ever play
that role, or ever will.
I will miss him terribly.
J. Michael Straczynski
and about Richard Biggs JMS wrote [jmsnews.com]
pass along the terrible news that this morning, Richard Biggs passed away.
We're still gathering information, so take none of this as firm word, but what
seems to have happened, happened quickly. He woke up, got up out of bed...and
went down. The paramedics who showed up suggested it was either an aneurysm or
a massive stroke.
His family members have been informed, and all of the the cast have, as far as
we can determine, also been informed.
This is a terrible loss for all of us. Richard was a consummate professional
but more than that he was an honorable, stand-up guy. If he gave you his word
on something, you never had to wonder about it afterward. He was always
helpful and supportive of all the cast, even those who only came in for one
episode, always with a ready smile and determined to do whatever it took to
make the scene work. He was, quite simply, a terrific guy, and everyone here
is just devastated at the news.
More word as this develops. We may try to have some kind of fund raiser to
help give whatever assistance may be helpful for his kids.
We all miss him terribly.
jms
Alternative working title (Score:2)
It was real drama (Score:2, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Monday November 15 2004, @05:47PM)
Re:It was real drama (Score:5, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Choate [wikipedia.org]
more info, no spoilers (Score:5, Informative)
more information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_in_the_Dark [wikipedia.org] for the lazy amongst us:
Voices in the Dark is the title of the first Lost Tales DVD to be published
Voices in the Dark will be set in 2272. It will feature two linked plotlines viewed separately one after the other but covering the same 72-hour timespan: the first follows ISA President John Sheridan on his way to B5 for a celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the formation of the Interstellar Alliance. During the journey he unexpectedly picks up the Centauri Prince Regent Vintari (third in line to the Centauri Imperial throne) on the edge of Centauri space, and receives a warning from Galen the techno-mage about coming events. The second will feature Colonel (formerly Captain during the series' run) Lochley on B5 awaiting Sheridan's arrival, who summons a priest from Earth space to help deal with a mysterious, seemingly supernatural problem.[14]
Straczynski has stated that predicated on the success of Voices in the Dark a second installment could be released as soon as early 2008.[24] Peter Jurasik has stated that he was contacted by Straczynski to reprise his role as Londo Mollari for a set of alien centric stories after the initial batch centered around humans. He has stated that he said yes to him, "if you [Straczynski] wrote it, I'd do it".[25] The second installment is also set to include a story centered around the character Michael Garibaldi, initially planned for the first installment.[15]
In response to a question about Harlan Ellison writing for the Lost Tales, who acted as conceptual consultant and writer for the original series, Straczynski has stated that he is "sure that down the road I can get Harlan to do something for us". However, for now the studio is pushing for just himself to work on the Lost Tales according to Straczynski, stating they "want this to be you [Straczynski]" because the studio already knows him and likes him.[12]
One of the big events in the Babylon 5 universe that the Lost Tales is set to explore eventually is the Telepath War.[12] Straczynski reportedly stated at the New York Comic-Con in February 2007 that he already has a concept for a possible direct-to-dvd Telepath War story in mind.[24][26]
Straczynski has stated that David Sheridan (John Sheridan and Delenn's son) will both be mentioned in Voices in the Dark, and that he will be seen somewhere else, "in the next DVD"
Babylon 5 was a miracle (Score:4, Insightful)
Between the poor quality of the successor projects and the difficulty of getting anything good on the air in today's television market, the success of the original series is all the more remarkable. If you simply look at the odds, this show never should have happened, a statistical fluke. But the impossible happened. I wonder if JMS can make the impossible happen twice.
Way, way too late (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://debecker.tripod.com)
The best thing about B5 was that, originally, it actually felt like you were in a big universe. The most brilliant scene in the entire show was when Catherine Sakai is telling G'Kar about the time her ship lost power when "something" -- an object so huge it blotted out the sun -- cruised by. Sakai describes what happened and asks G'Kar what the thing might have been. They're standing in the garden, and G'Kar sees an ant crawling up a flower stem. He puts his finger on the stem, the ant crawls onto it and onto his hand, and then after a few seconds he lets the ant crawl back onto the flower. He looks at Sakai and says, "That ant meets another ant and asks, what was that?..."
But after the third season, all that was out the window, and all that was left was a bad space combat show.
but how can it be great (Score:2)
(https://dawgchain.at/ | Last Journal: Friday January 26 2007, @01:14PM)
I will listen to Ivanova.
I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations.
Ivanova is god.
Jackets in behind the scences trailers (Score:1)
Where? (Score:2)
OOOOH! Here they are? Man, I've been looking for them forever.
Please please please... (Score:1)
Sufficiently high tech might as well be fantasy. (Score:5, Informative)
(http://slashdot.org/)
We are an arrogant people who for some reason think we know everything yet laugh at those who came before us for thinking the very same thing
Re:Sufficiently high tech might as well be fantasy (Score:5, Insightful)
People who think that 21st century science is the be-all and end-all of all knowledge display staggering amounts of hubris, especially since they are familiar with overzealous predictions like "everything that can be patented has been patented" and "there's a world market for maybe 5 computers".
Whether it's overused or not is another question -- that depends on the writer, and I think the B5 seasons treated techno-mages and psychics quite well. Especially compared to a certain Betazoid on TNG, whose sole purpose seemed to be, er, wear dresses and state the obvious.
Re:Sufficiently high tech might as well be fantasy (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.b-list.org/)
Then pat yourself on the back for being ahead of the curve: you're arrogantly scoffing at your contemporaries instead of at people in the past. Ain't progress grand?
Re:Sufficiently high tech might as well be fantasy (Score:4, Insightful)
There is also arrogance where a writer says, "If they accuse me of writing about magic, I'll just point out that it is in fact just sufficiently advanced technology", and then proceeds to write something that is really fantasy in terms of genre.
While we cannot predict what will be possible in the far future, we do know a lot about the world now. The important thing here is that I'm not talking about technology, but rather the many and various forms of literature and movie genres, the history of many religions, tribes and cults, the marketing of corporations, the temptations that even the best writers can fall pray to, etc.
Taking all those factors into account, it seems fair to hold the point of view that Babylon 5 includes fantasy elements (wearing the makeup of Clarke's Third Law), that it is not really trying to be pure sci-fi or speculative fiction. I'm perfectly happy to admit it might all be possible, at the same time as saying that I don't really think that is the point the authors are making.
Yes, it is entirely possible they wanted to play around with the idea of technology-as-magic. But by the time they've thrown in all the rituals, the astral plane metaphors, etc, you have to ask:
Are they still asking, "What if this could be done?", or are they in fact asking, "Wouldn't it be cool if these guys were like wizards, yeah, we'll call them Techno-Mages, you know, play the advanced technology card, etc.. ?" It's an exaggeration, but I suspect that the GP is right, and they are in fact including fantasy in their show.
This is not a bad thing in and of itself; that's a matter of personal taste.
Re:It's SciFi damnit! (Score:4, Informative)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Most of what you see in B5 is explained along the way in one way or another, some isn't. The future is an interesting place don't you think?
There are many kinds of SciFi that aren't strict, *hard* SciFi. The writer has chosen his path, and it's your choice to stop watching if you find it unbearable.
If you don't find B5 unbearable, then just sit back and enjoy in the knowledge that there are things out there, bigger and more complex than our current understanding of science and the universe.
Re:It's SciFi damnit! (Score:3, Insightful)
Look, "SciFi" just a marketing label designed to make it easy to compartmentalize media in order to maximize synergistic sales. There aren't rules, canons and precepts governed by some international SciFi Body. And there damn well should never be rules like that either. Nothing kills creativity more.
Episodes of Star Trek, for example, could just as easily be classed as romance or murder mystery rather than SciFi. Get over it! And get it into your head that your definition of SciFi, is just that -- yours.
For me, Babylon 5 developed characters and story arcs in a credible and realistic way. People are stupid, weak, selfish and greedy. They believe in things that may not be true. Babylon 5 reflected that, whereas most TV SciFi prior to B5 did not. It asked old and new questions about the nature of belief and existence. And nota bene, that JMS did say online somewhere, that just because the Minbari believe in souls etc does not make it necessarily true.
Which does not mean it is invalid to explore those ideas around a SciFi context.
Leave the labeling and compartmentalization to the marketing drones, or to librarians -- and we all know librarians have something to hide.
Re:It's SciFi damnit! (Score:4, Insightful)
An interesting historical point. I wasn't aware of the distinction between science fiction and sci-fi - could you provide it?
I tend not to bother with distinctions that will have no meaning to people not part of the group that have chosen to make it; it's as bad as cheap marketing ploys. Wouldn't be surprised if the original poster was happily using SciFi as an abbreviation for science fiction, good or bad, great and small. I understand the idea of specualtive fiction, because you could discuss the difference between "science" and "speculation" to your average or intelligent person and still make sense. Even so, that's just to acknowledge someone's perspective - I don't think the term adds much value except for insider discussions.
Science fiction on other hand is not about those things. It is about people and the world we live in. No matter how alien the setup is and what aliens, robots, etc are the subject of the story, good science fiction is always relevant to us here and now. All the standard "sci-fi" items are not the point of the story, they are just tools to set up the story in a way that may not be possible (or at least easy) with straight fiction.
There are many good examples of the distinction in recent movies - "I, Robot" the "science fiction" book was a deep examination of human behavior by extracting the idealized behavior and overlaying it on a machine and then viewing it from a human perspective (among many other things) - "I,Robot" - the "sci-fi" movie supposedly based on the book, but really about killer robots. Or "Mimsy were the Borgroves" - a brilliant short story about "nature vs nurture" and the effect of the toys on the way the mind develops - "The Last Mimzy" - a "sci-fi" movie based on the story that castrates any sort of meaning from original work and instead does a random children's adventure with even more random environmental message (where did that come from?)
B5, Firefly, etc all were good science fiction because if you take out the space ships and laser guns and aliens, you still got a strong story about something. I mean B5's big conflict of "community" vs "individual" is universal and applies just as well to "Vorlons" vs "Shadows" as it does to "USSR" vs "USA" in cold war or "socialism" vs "capitalism" in general. It is a fundamental conflict that's as old as time and instead of rehashing it again from one side or another, B5 shows what it is like to be the little guy caught in the middle.
Now, I just want to add, there is definitely a place for "sci-fi" out there and truth be told, I enjoyed both movies mentioned above - but there is no way I can call them good science fiction.
Although I see you have no problem making such subtle distinctions .. I'm wondering whether the definition of Sci-Fi will be a tautology that excludes the possibility of it ever being great fiction.
But rather than dwell on trivia about the us
Re:It's SciFi damnit! (Score:4, Insightful)
It's SciFi damnit!
As for questions of the soul, that's an area of pure speculation, same with prophecy. So long as JMS keeps what he presents self-consistent, all is good. Personally, I hate prophecy storylines because they've been done to fucking death. I think it's poor storytelling. But I have seen good stories with precognition. For some stories the precognition goes along the lines of extremely educated guesses, like a chess master considering the state of the board eight moves ahead, only in this case there are a million more variables to consider. In that case, the turning points upon which the future rests become matters of extreme importance and there's always the danger of the Influential Man, the wildcard that can throw off all predictions. I've also seen good stories that use a more mystical means of showing the future. The worst ones have the future written in stone with fate and destiny shackling everyone to a fixed course of action. The better ones have precognition show a web of potentialities for the future, the seer catching quantum ripples chasing down from future to past. All and none of these futures exist and only the present exists to make those potentials real, cementing them into past.
Re:Wait--I remember B5! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wait--I remember B5! (Score:2)
(Last Journal: Friday November 09, @08:13AM)
and we're now into the 21st century and not a peep of psychic power or spirituality is to be had
In the Babylon 5 universe, human psi powers were born when the Vorlon's messed with the Human genome to create them. The Vorlon's created psi powers in most of the younger races to use as weapons against the Shadows.
How doesn't that work? It's part of the story. Not some "humans outgrew violence and got psi powers" nonsense.
Re:Wait--I remember B5! (Score:2)
I liked Farscape, Lexx, Stargate, X-files, First Wave, Earth Final Conflict, Outer Limits, etc..., but for a lot of B5 people the world seems confined to a B5 / Star Trek dichotomy.
It seems like at times B5 is "starter Sci-Fi" for people who never read much sci-fi or whose only exposure on TV was Star Trek.
Re:Wait--I remember B5! (Score:3, Insightful)
I think that you give the game away with that sentence. The fact that you describe it as boring suggests that you've not watched many episodes, after all if it is 'boring' then why would you? This is further born out by focusing on the 'psi power' element of the show, which although very much present isn't the only game in town. Even here your assertion that psi power has never worked too well too well in sf seems slightly dubious in the light of how many creators have bundled it into their work. It seems that everyone from Alfred Bester, who wrote the 'The demolished man' to George Lucas and his 'force' (ignoring midi-chlorians or what ever for the moment) have been quite happy to use it.
Also, given the number of people who bought the Babylon 5 box sets, releasing it as a direct-to-DVD movie seems to make perfect. This is a growing trend among series with a well established and perhaps older and richer fan base - see Stargate for another example. Whoever has done this is taking a risk, but not a very big one I think.
Finally what have you added to the sum of human knowledge, apart from the fact that you don't like Babylon 5 and that I disagree with you?
Re:Wait--I remember B5! (Score:2)
(http://www.hyperborea.org/journal/ | Last Journal: Tuesday September 11, @05:30PM)
Assuming, of course, you don't consider religion to be spiritual, given that religion actually seems to be increasing in societal importance over the last decade...