The problem with "Infection" from...

 Posted on 2/25/1994 by STRACZYNSKI [Joe] to GENIE


The problem with "Infection" from a writing POV is that it was the FIRST
one written for this season, and I was having a hard time finding the
"fingerprints" of the characters again after so much time had passed after the
pilot (it was nearly a year between the revising/shooting of the pilot, and
the writing of the first series script). As on *any* show, it takes a while
to get up to speed once you hit series. That was the real problem, and there
wasn't any real way to get past it except to write it, re-acquaint myself with
the characters, and move on. I probably would have opted out of doing it had
we had more scripts on hand, but we didn't. And oddly, many on the production
team *liked* the script quite a lot, and kept saying it had to be done.

Of all the scripts I've written, the only one that I'm less than
absolutely 100% thrilled with is "The Quality of Mercy," because I wrote it
while absolutely sick with the flu, and have NO memory even of writing it. As
it is, though, I'm about 90% happy with it, particularly the B-story with
Londo and Lennier, which came out great.

So out of 12 scripts that I've done for this season, I'm absolutely
pleased with 10 and 1/2 of them. I created this show because I wanted to
write for it; to not do so kind of misses the point. I think that my scripts
for "Parliament," "Mind War," "Sky," "Babylon Squared," "A Voice in the
Wilderness," and "Chrysalis" represent some of the best work I've ever done.
And I think you'll agree.

jms