As stated, the picture of B5 in Starlog is from a VERY early stage of
development. The actual version, in later renditions, is darker and -- for
lack of a better term -- more *massive* in its feel. And there will be
considerable polishing in terms of how it looks.

This is *strictly* my own opinion (though it's a pretty solid one, I
think)...but frankly, I don't think it's even REMOTELY possible for the Other
Show to begin filming in June. At present, there's neither a bible nor a
script for it. If you're going to start filming in June, you need a script
NOW. Or at least by the first of February (which is when "The Gathering" is
due). You need to run your script past the studio, then start conceptual
design (and in our case, we're ahead and it's STILL going to be tight),
construction, casting...and none of that can happen until you've got a script.

I don't see that happening (filming) on the Other Show until the fall or
VERY late summer. Even at that late date, though, there's still every chance
that they could hit air by February '93.

And bear one other thing in mind: if they could shoot in June, they could
release in November, when B5 airs. And they're not.

So phooey on them.

Just finished another act on the script. Closing in on the end. The fun
part of this is trying to imagine the future, and trying to come up with ways
in which things can be done differently for TV, ways no one has really dealt
with in TV. One of our recurring characters (not a regular, in that sense,
but someone we'll see from time to time) is a woman who is, for lack of a
better term, a Rent-A-Telepath. She works for B5, but she is available for
businessmen who need to make sure that the person across the table can really
deliver what's promised. (Note: she is not the only one, they're pretty
common in business at this time in the future.)

Not an empath, by the way, but a proper, licensed (Psi-Corps, Level 5)
TELEPATH. Bound by all the regs of the P-C. No random scanning, no access to
the gaming tables, no unauthorized dipping, all deals must be on record. And
there's the privacy question that TNG has never really dealt with. A telepath
peeping into someone's mind or emotions without that person's permission (or
that of the next of kin) can likely have his or her license revoked. It's a
basic right of privacy...whereas a Certain Other I can think of is constantly
peeping into people's emotions and feelings without so much as a by-your-
leave. And, again, this will be the very exacting reading of thoughts, rather
than a, "I sense discomfort" sort of thing.

In the focus group, that character elicited considerable interest from
the subjects. I suspect the idea of a Rent-A-Telepath is appealing for a LOT
of reasons....

jms