Haven't yet seen Time Trax, so can't comment. I don't see "a lot" of
shows "taking place on space stations," at this point, only two, unless you
count the outpost stuff in Space Rangers. Personally, my feeling is that the
more good SF, the better.

It's my understanding that very likely B5 *will* be released theatrically
overseas as a feature. More on this as I can talk about it.

Guest stars? Of course. Many and varied.

Re: scripts...for the first year, there will be only two people on staff:
me, and Harlan Ellison, as creative consultant. So the majority of the
scripts will be freelance. For that first season, we've already locked down
our writers. They will come from one of two groups: a) a small group of
writers who I've worked with over the years and have trained to my tastes, and
b) another small group of leading SF writers, many of whom don't work for TV
anymore, but will break that absence for B5.

Part of the reason for this is to establish ourselves firmly during the
course of that first season, get our feet wet, firm up our identity, and other
hits by the same name. It does no good for freelancers on the outside to try
a script until they've seen at least one season, as well. Finally, because
there will be a certain amount of continuity and developing storylines from
episode to episode, that requires a certain degree of direction from in-house
on stories. Very often we'll go to a writer and say, "Here...in this story, X
has to happen. Beyond making sure that X is included, do what you want." An
outsider won't have access to knowing what that X is.

Still, there will be episodes totally separate from the arc, and those
are far more wide open.

One disservice that TNG has done the SF writing community is its -- in a
way -- tendency to *use* SF fans as idea mills. Hundreds of scripts arrive
each month, they're read through, good ideas are plucked out, they pay a
couple hundred bucks for the premise, then write it in-house. Part of the
reason they're always so desperate for material, and driven to this length of
soliciting scripts from fans, is that they don't have a terrific reputation in
the writing community. Some of it is undeserved, a hanger-on from previous
administrations, and some of it seems to have some basis in terms of the fact
that you will never have the chance to see your script through to the end.

That problem does not exist with B5. Our writers are already lined up
and ready to go.

Starting with the second season, assuming we get that far, we will open
things up more and be willing to look at finished scripts with a release form.
I think that providing that opportunity is important. But it won't be such a
cattle-call in the way it's handled.

jms