Die Zukunft von Babylon 5

[Falcon]

In Rahmen einer Veranstaltung hat sich JMS auch zu Babylon 5 geäußert. Was die Zukunft von B5 angeht, ging seine Aussage in die gleiche Richtung, wie schon zuletzt immer: entweder Kinofilm oder nichts. Bemerkenswert ist, dass er ziemlich hart mit den Nachfolgeprojekten von B5 ins Gericht geht. Die Filme, Crusade und TLT bezeichnet er als Fehler, die er aus heutiger Sicht nicht nochmal machen würden. Sie hätten B5 mehr geschadet als genutzt. Ein wichtiger Grund, warum er damals weitere Projekte im B5-Universum gemacht hätte, wäre seine Angst davor gewesen, was nach B5 kommen würde. Was würde geschehen, wenn er die bekannten und somit sicheren Gefilde verlassen würde. Ein Teil von ihm wollte lieber an dem bekannten festhalten. Aber er wollte sich auch beweisen, dass die ursprüngliche Serie kein einmaliger Glückstreffer war.

Q: Another of the ways that Babylon 5 is innovative, you expanded the story beyond the core series into standalone movies, into spin-off series like Crusaders (sic). Today we’re seeing this more and more, with Battlestar Gallactica about to launch a new series after the original, with mobisodes online. Can you say a little bit about how you think about these extensions of storytelling?

JMS: On one level it was a fun thing to do. We had the opportunity to do it when TNT picked up the fifth season they said “Do you want to do some TV movies?” I said, “Sure.” In retrospect, I should have said “No,” I should not have done Crusade. For the following reason: I set out to do a five year story and upon telling that story...I’d said early on “It’s five years and out”. I should have stuck with that. But there is a lure and an attraction to working with people you like, we had a great crew, and a good environment and my own personal fear came out because I thought, “Having done this...what next?” I’d built up a reputation for being, shall we say ‘difficult’, pain in the ass is another word, “What if someone doesn’t hire me?” and I fell prey to the one thing I’ve always fought against, the fear of failure. Do I stay in this universe, stay in this box, I can go on a little further. And that was a mistake on my part, one of the very few times I’ve given in to the fear of failure.

We did Crusade and while there’s much to commend that show, good stories that we told and better stories yet to come. It was in a very rough, nascent stage of development when TNT pulled the plug for reasons that had nothing to do with the show, more to do with their demographics. I should not have done that. And I’ve learned from that and in the aftermath...it took until the last DVD to really make me understand that I was still holding on to part of that fear. There’s part of me that wants to prove that it wasn’t a one-off, that I can do this. There’s part of me that holds on to what is familiar.

When I finished directing the direct-to-DVD movie, I looked back and said “Have I just added to what I’ve created, or have I subtracted from that which I’ve created?” I subtracted from it and I shouldn’t be doing that shit. So I told Warner’s, “Look, I’m not going to do any more of these”. If, at some point in the future they want to do a Babylon 5 massive feature film with a massive budget where we have the chance to give the show its proper due rather than...the DVD was done for about 3 million dollars which is nothing. Where I can give the show its proper due and respect, I’ll consider it. But if I can’t give the show its due for what it was for those five years, I shouldn’t be doing it and I made that very firm with Warner Bros.

[Codehunter]

Aber er wollte sich auch beweisen, dass die ursprüngliche Serie kein einmaliger Glückstreffer war.

Das ging ja wohl mordsmäßig nach hinten los

Meine Meinung zu einem Kinofilm habe ich früher schon kund getan. Ich tendiere in eine komplett andere Richtung: Babylon 4. Der Brückenschlag in der Originalserie involviert - mit Ausnahme von Zathras - nur heute noch lebende Schauspieler. Das Setting tangiert den Canon nur ganz am Rande, also keine Gefahr für die Geschichte der Originalserie. Drittens würde sich die Story um die interessantesten Themen der Serie drehen: Vorlonen, Schatten, Minbari und Valen.