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5511 discussions

MediaWest & Zines
by Ashton7＠aol.com 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

For those of you going to MediaWest who would like to purchase some of the zines Ashton Press carries, I'm getting ready to start printing in preparation for the convention. I won't be printing older issues unless I have special requests for any, for the most part. So, if there are any that you're interested in, please let me know via private email. You can find the list of fanzines at: http://members.aol.com/methosela/zines.htm Thanks! Annie

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Re: [B7L] Which Question(s) Would You Ask the Script Editor? (Hypothetical)
by Jenny Kaye 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

Fiona wrote: >Is Gan really a psychopath on the quiet? And if he isn't, how does one >explain "Time Squad" and "Breakdown"? Funny you mention those, because I saw "Breakdown" recently and so I thought I'd watch "Time Squad" last night. I'd say there is something very nasty going on with Gan, and I was a bit surprised I didn't see it the first time. Why don't we ever hear what Cally says to Kayne (sp?) about why Gan has the limiter? Why does Gan make excuses for the bad guys in "Time Squad"? Why can Gan knock people down like ninepins in other episodes but can't stop the men attacking Jenna? Any thoughts? Jenny _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

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(Suggestion) The Rocks around Destiny were One-Way; Planetary Approaches and Exits - Early Series v. Late Series.
by seven＠gaudaprime.com 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

Fiona wrote (snipped from 46285) >>> The implication in the Blake and Vila exchange: "We've got to get >>> back to them" "Now I *know* I don't feel very well..." is that it >>> did. Tavia >> Yes, but why didn't it damage the ship, as the energy is too >> drained to maintain the force wall and main drive simultaneously? Fiona > To go around the field would take them 336 hours-- however, it > won't take them 336 hours to recharge their power supplies-- so > it's still faster to wait for the recharge and go through it again. > The reason why you don't see the second go through is a) it would > be very boring :), and b) the field of asteroids is only there in > the first place to cause the neutrotope's case to fall off the > table and give them a reason to look into it and find it empty. David Initially in B7 the planets were easy to leave and approach (Cygnus Alpha, Saurian Major, and Earth, leaving only). This changed with the planet of the Decimas (and again with Dawn later). Both Cally and Jenna had to be taken over, the Liberator was blind as it approached the planet, and when it did come close, the web held it fast. When part of the web had been cleared with the fungicide, the Liberator escaped easily. The series showed no information concerning the initial approach to Kentaro except that there had been a detour in the episode before it. The second approach to Kentaro and both escapes from it were easy. Destiny's approach was difficult - piloting through the rocks was a Herculean task - but the exit from the rocks is not shown. Either it caused no problems, as the programme implies, or the writer omitted it for another reason. In _Duel_, a high speed chase, not necessarily in regular space, was required before the crew could take shelter on and around the planet. After a brief flight at ramming speed, and some events on planet, the Liberator left the planet easily. Little is nothing of the approach to Avalon's planet. Exit was unexpectedly easy. The second approach to Avalon's planet and exit from it were easy. The approach to XK-72 through the vortex was difficult; the subsequent exit easy enough. The next three episodes have planets that are neutral with respect to ease of approach and exit. Approaching the System produced many difficulties but the exit from it was easy enough. Leaving Zondar and the planet of Rashelle were not easy to leave. As the Liberator was falling towards the former, Cally had to defeat the Dark. And there was a minefield around the latter. Zondar and pRashelle go against the pattern of difficult approaches and easy exits established in the earlier portion of B7. Why, Avon even says finding, if not approaching, Zondar was easy. Silmareno / Horizon were difficult to approach, easy to leave. Earth (Pressure Point) was acutely difficult to approach as was the Space Station conducting Travis' trial; they were easy to leave. Let Zil's planet be deemed neutral. Now the crew attempt to approach Star One. This was a long convoluted process attained only with much difficulty. Leaving Star One was rather easy. Skipping Tarrant's initial piloting of the Liberator, _Dawn_ was a turning point like _The Web_ was. Here the Liberator is again pulled off-course, and Cally again encounters another of Auron's Lost (the Thaarn), but the Liberator is not blind. Approaches after the Black Hole become easier: Kairos, Auron, even Earth (Rumours). Kerrill-City fascinated Vila, Ultraworld and the tomb fascinated Cally, Servalan's carrier fascinated Dayna, Teal's war-ground fascinated Tarrant, and Terminal fascinated Avon. They were all rather easy to approach and the difficulty rating for exits was increasing. Moving towards the end of B7, Scorpio could approach Mecron II (Belkov's planet), Verne and Malodar easily. It was the getting away that was difficult. The Space Princess, if it counts, was easy to approach, difficult to leave. Leaving Xenon was achieved only after a long stay there. From Dorian to Zukan it was singularly difficult to leave. Finally, as far as we know, they never left Gauda Prime. The approach was difficult in nearly all respects. Conclusion: Apart from Zondar and pRashelle, the exits were easy in the early portion of the series, and the approaches difficult; and in the latter portion, the approaches were easy and the exits difficult. So I think it is ok to have Destiny a difficult planet to approach and an easy one to leave, as stated then implied by the script of _Mission to Destiny_. The asteroids and rocks acted like a one way street. DC http://tezcatlipoca.algonet.se/cgi-bin/getbyid.pl?id=46285

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Re: [B7L] Which Question(s) Would You Ask the Script Editor? (Hypothetical)
by Tavia 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

David (Seven) asked: >If you, Tavia or Fiona, had the chance to spend >quiet time with the B7 Script Editor, what would >you ask him? I fear I'd be the one cowering away at the back waiting for all the people who know what they're talking about to ask the sensible interesting questions. But some random issues that interest me with regard to Chris Boucher as both scriptwriter and editor (tempered by the fact he's probably forgotten totally)... what were his influences as a B7 scriptwriter (other television, film, literature, real-life issues); did he see B7 as science fiction, and if not, what genre did he see it as; did he see B7 as a groundbreaking series or as a hack rehash of, say, Star Trek; how much leeway did the writer get on producing scripts; what were the major constraints on scripts (budget / BBC interpretation of audience expectations); who was the ultimate arbiter on character or background; did he compile a Sevencyclopaedia-like facts database; how much did he discuss the Federation &c background with Nation and/or the directors; how much did he discuss characters with the actors; did he agree with the direction the series took in season 4, especially with regard to the changes in Avon's character; and how much of the latter was actually driven by Paul Darrow; did he feel a tension between his/Holmes' scripts and Nation's scripts; which scriptwriter was the hardest to edit; which is his favourite of those episodes he wrote, and the least favourite; was he expecting the mass fan outrage/upset at the episode 'Blake'; is he surprised that there are still active fans of B7; what (if anything) does he think of fanfiction... I fear that it might actually be more interesting to present the guy with a written series of questions rather than a live Q&A session. Tavia

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Re: [B7L] Mission to Destiny
by Tavia 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

Fiona wrote: >What you're talking about here, though, is the production. >If it had been directed by say, Douglas Camfield, it might >well have been a lot more interesting-- as it is, it's directed >by the man who directed "Timelash,"and what you get is a >lot of uninspired interaction, dull lighting, poorly realised >scenes etc. I must admit, I'm not very sensitive to the director in television (which is strange, cos it's the first thing I notice about a film). I was even surprised to find that my favourite episodes were all written by three scriptwriters (Nation, Boucher, Holmes). Perhaps if I reconstituted my list of likes and hates according to director I'd find some trends (Excel must have some uses...). Perhaps someone who knows could explain what exactly the director (vs say the producer) is responsible for in television production? >For instance, take a look at John Leeson. In "Gambit," the man's >fantastic. Here, he's lacklustre. Now we know he's capable of >turning out a good performance so it's not that he's a lousy actor-- >it's that he lacks good direction. Interesting; I'd never noticed that (not being in the least sensitive to actors, as I've mentioned here before). To be honest, though, it was not him I was really moaning about, lacklustre works quite well for xyz crew member on dull passenger cruiser with nothing much to do. But Sara, Mandrian and especially Sonheim were dreadful. >the field of asteroids is only there in the first place to cause >the neutrotope's case to fall off the table and give them a reason >to look into it and find it empty. That was just what I meant by lame plot device upon lame plot device. Tavia

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Re: [B7L] More thoughts on Mellanby
by Marian de Haan 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

Fiona wrote: >True, but what happens is, he comes in and finds Mellanby dead, and upon ascertaining that this is so, his first response is to shout "Orac!"-- he seems more concerned about getting Orac back than taken aback at Mellanby's death.< Considering that Orac is his only means of getting back to Liberator, Avon's priorities here don't strike me as out of character. He must be kicking himself for having let Orac out of his sight. :-) It's him leaving Orac for Servalan to grab in the first place that I find hard to credit. >His one comment on Mellanby is "He got away from here after all"-- which is a little bit sarcastic under the circumstances (frankly, I'm surprised Dayna didn't clock him one for that).< I didn't interpret that as sarcasm but as a clumsy consolation attempt. :-) Avon's in a hurry to go after Servalan, but seems not to want to leave Dayna behind. Does he feel responsible for her out of guilt because he didn't prevent Servalan from killing her father? Marian

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Director vs Writer (Was: Re: [B7L] Mission to Destiny)
by Tavia 06 Apr '01

06 Apr '01

Earlier today, I wrote: >Perhaps if I reconstituted my list of likes and hates according to >director I'd find some trends (Excel must have some uses...). Well, a wasted evening, a deal of RSI pain, and several spreadsheets later, I'm proud to announce... um ... It didn't. My liking of B7 episodes appears to depend on Season (2 > 1 = 3 = 4) and Writer (Boucher = Holmes > Nation >> Parkes = Other > Prior = Steed), but hardly at all on Director. A short-cut to this earth-shattering conclusion might have been to observe that Mary Ridge directed one of my two favourite episodes as well as my least favourite. (I leave proving the identity of these episodes as an exercise to the reader.) The only other conclusion I drew was that there was a definite bias towards my liking episodes produced by those writers and directors who lasted more than two episodes; with 'Warlord' being the exception to prove the rule. Tavia

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Re: [B7L] RE: Sex & evangelism (moving back to B7)
by Tavia 05 Apr '01

05 Apr '01

Betty wrote: >Wasn't there a mention of Maryatt's wife >in "Deliverance"? Or am I misremembering? The references appear to be to 'family', and 'a woman and two children', not 'wife'. & Dana wrote: >I think there is a canonical reference to Maja as >Tel Varon's wife. Maryatt has a wife and children, >of course, and I believe Hal Mellanby refers to >Dayna's mother as his wife. The word 'wife' doesn't seem to appear in TWB, but yes you're right on Mrs Mellanby. Mebbe someone with all the scripts downloaded and a decent grep function could compile a 7cyclopaedia entry ? (It amused me slightly that the 'M' entries included seemingly B7-irrelevant trivia on the 'M16 assault rifle', and sod-all on 'marriage'.) Tavia

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Re: [B7L] More thoughts on Mellanby
by Fiona Moore 05 Apr '01

05 Apr '01

>From: "Dana Shilling" <dshilling(a)worldnet.att.net> >Fiona said: Actually, *Marian* said (it seems to have been one of those posting days :) ), > > >Still, one would expect someone with Avon's survival instinct to want to > > >keep his only means for returning to Liberator with him at all times, > > >especially when his enemy is around. All the more since Servalan has >told > > >him that she's after Orac. (This is what I meant by sloppy writing :-) ) >Roger Ebert calls this sort of thing the "idiot plot"--the film, etc. gets >to be >feature length only by everyone acting like an idiot. True, plots do tend to get advanced in adventure stories by random acts of carelessness :). But as I did say, this act wouldn't have been so but for Servalan deciding to take a desperate chance. And she was in a desperate situation-- seducing Avon hadn't worked, the Mellanbys weren't likely to sympathise with her and the only apparent way of getting off the planet was by blackmailing Avon. (now I did say this, though) > > Hm, but let's look at it another way. Avon, as it stands, has a choice of > > leaving Orac in the workroom or keeping it with him wherever he's >sleeping. > > Now, if he suspects that Servalan is after Orac, to keep Orac with him >would > > mean that he would spend a sleepless night, >Not much of an obstacles for a confirmed insomniac Where's the evidence for Avon's confirmed insomnia? > > Furthermore, Avon probably doesn't expect her to try anything. >If he doesn't he has a brilliant future in US electoral politics :)! But Avon thinks in logical, rational terms-- he is trying to outcalculate Servalan, and he's nearly right. He couldn't have foreseen either the gun being left out or Mellanby being around to be shot (had Mellanby not been there she would likely have hid Orac and used it to bargain with); he's a computer technician, not a psychostrategist. > >However, > > the fact that one of the Mellanbys leaves a gun lying around changes the > > balance of power, >Leaves a gun lying around? Chez Mellanby that's like finding a bit of >paper in the London Times printing plant Actually, I *do* find it surprising, because the Mellanbys seem to be fairly careful with their firearms-- all the guns have at this point been cleared away except for one which is lying on the workbench, and which as a result could be assumed to be nonfunctional or in the process of manufacture (and Mellanby is in any case sitting armed in the room with it). And while I personally don't know a heck of a lot about firearms, I do know that one of the main things people who keep them (or keep them responsibly, anyway) do is ensure that they're locked up where the kids/dogs/jealous spouses can't get at them easily. So I'd say it's a bit more like finding gold at Fort Knox-- of course it's there, but it's a bit odd to find it just lying around. > > But really, it works against that, since she's likely to want sympathy not > > sarcasm-- but then as you say, compassion was never Avon's forte. >Actually he can be quite compassionate behind someone's back (the way >he looks at Vena, not the way he talks to her) or when s/he is unconscious-- >the tenderness in the way he touches Cally in Project Avalon after the >android has slugged her, or Blake in Voice From the Past. That's all open to interpretation-- e.g. when he touches Cally it is fairly gentle and tentative, but she has just been slugged on the head and he doesn't know how badly, or whether there's been any damage to the brain. But let's not go down the interpretation route again <GRIN>... >PS--do you think Mellanby's optical recognition gadget was an influence >on Geordi LaForge's visual visor? No, but as I was semi-watching Voyager last night I was surprised to find that the villain was apparently called Seska (and talking of which, wasn't Monday's episode of Angel [the S1 one with the demoness from another dimension] just basically a rehash of Power with an upbeat ending?). Fiona The Posthumous Memoirs of Secretary Rontane Acting just like a Hommik at http://nyder.r67.net _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

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Sara...
by Nathan Hook 05 Apr '01

05 Apr '01

Haven't watched this for a while, but I have alsways considered it a vert enjoyable, though a bit offbeat, episode. The bit that always gets me is Avon turning his back on sarah before announcing that she did it. Bit daft. Perhaps it's a bait. he wanted her to become violent and gave her the oportunity to prove it, further credence to his argument. Violence beguiles the innocent exterior. 'Yes folks, it really is "her".' 'I really rather enjoyed that,' is my favourite line in the episode. Well, life's so sterile and pee cee these days ain't it. it's sickly. Nathan. Nothings so difficult as a beginning/ In poesy, unless perhaps the end. Byron. ------------------------------------------------------------ Free, BeOS-friendly email accounts: http://BeMail.org/ Free Peepshow - http://twinfusion.com/comic/peep/

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