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lizbeeI was poking around the intertron a couple of weeks ago, and discovered that Neil Gaiman's script for "Day of the Dead" had been published for sale. I'm on a pretty limited budget at the moment, but I figured I could spare $20 ($4.75 for the book, $15.25 for postage -- I KNOW, I KNOW). Of course, by the end of the pay cycle, I really felt like I was just $20 short of being comfortable, but by then the book had arrived, and to quote the philosopher Minogue, I wouldn't change a thing.
It's a really interesting read, especially if (like me) you groove on miniscule changes in dialogue. What, you mean normal people don't? Well, that's totally their loss. Anyway, it has footnotes marking changes between the completed script and the filmed version, mostly due to filming issues or JMS trimming dialogue (words I never, ever thought I'd have cause to use consecutively). The most interesting bit, to me, was the original version of the scene between Lennier and [character I won't name becauseinfiniteviking only just found out this ep exists and I don't want to spoil her].
THE NEW FLETHOR, GUYS.
(Crap scan because I was experimenting with the "text scan" option. Hint: it doesn't resize well.)
Obviously the final version cuts most of that out. Because obviously it's hard to go from "THE NEW FLETHOR" to "nearly killed Sheridan through inaction, events are hushed up due to politics/angst". This is how I picture the exchange in the probably-non-existent writer's room:
JMS: "Sorry, Neil, we're sort of toning down the Lennier thing. It's not actually that big of a betrayal."
Neil: "So he only betrays the Rangers a little? How does that work?"
JMS: "Put it this way, 'Judas' might be overstating it a little. I mean, Sheridan sort of is Jesus, but--"
Neil: "You know, Stephen Moffat never pulls that sort of crap."
JMS: "...Neil, are you communicating from the future again?"
Neil: "All I'm allowed to say is that if the opportunity arises to make an action-adventure spin-off about the Rangers for the Sci-Fi Channel? SAY NO. FOR GOD'S SAKE, SAY NO."
JMS: "What sort of idiot would think that was a remotely good idea?"
Neil: *cannot say more for fear of creating a paradox*
To the best of my knowledge, this conversation never book place, and I'm about 86% certain that Neil Gaiman cannot travel in time. But it amused me, because I am easily amused. And I honestly do have trouble getting from "you're like, totally gonna betray the Rangers" to the events in "Objects at Rest"; that's more of a personal betrayal of Lennier's own morals, and Delenn, than anything involving the Anla'shok. I WAS EXPECTING SOMETHING EPIC AND AWESOME, OKAY? Some situation in which Lennier believes he's doing the right thing, and it blows up massively, with long-term consequences. You could make an argument for his bringing the evidence against the Centauri being that event, but it doesn't quite work out, and isn't in any way a betrayal.
In conclusion: I do love that Morden has had a haircut in the afterlife. He and Lennier need their cheeks pinched very badly. As does the lovely Mr Gaiman. "Day of the Dead" blew me away when I was seventeen, even though I had no idea who any of these people were or why they were important. I thought at the time (and still think) that the concept of the dead returning for a night should be ficced in every possible fandom. It grieves me that I haven't been able to find an AU where Sheridan and Delenn's quarters are in the Brakiri territory. Obviously their dead would be Anna and Dukhat (well, maybe Branmer or Neroon), and the result would be awkwardness. Possibly followed by Scrabble. To sum up: CHEEKS PINCHED.
It's a really interesting read, especially if (like me) you groove on miniscule changes in dialogue. What, you mean normal people don't? Well, that's totally their loss. Anyway, it has footnotes marking changes between the completed script and the filmed version, mostly due to filming issues or JMS trimming dialogue (words I never, ever thought I'd have cause to use consecutively). The most interesting bit, to me, was the original version of the scene between Lennier and [character I won't name because
infiniteviking only just found out this ep exists and I don't want to spoil her].
THE NEW FLETHOR, GUYS.
(Crap scan because I was experimenting with the "text scan" option. Hint: it doesn't resize well.)
Obviously the final version cuts most of that out. Because obviously it's hard to go from "THE NEW FLETHOR" to "nearly killed Sheridan through inaction, events are hushed up due to politics/angst". This is how I picture the exchange in the probably-non-existent writer's room:
JMS: "Sorry, Neil, we're sort of toning down the Lennier thing. It's not actually that big of a betrayal."
Neil: "So he only betrays the Rangers a little? How does that work?"
JMS: "Put it this way, 'Judas' might be overstating it a little. I mean, Sheridan sort of is Jesus, but--"
Neil: "You know, Stephen Moffat never pulls that sort of crap."
JMS: "...Neil, are you communicating from the future again?"
Neil: "All I'm allowed to say is that if the opportunity arises to make an action-adventure spin-off about the Rangers for the Sci-Fi Channel? SAY NO. FOR GOD'S SAKE, SAY NO."
JMS: "What sort of idiot would think that was a remotely good idea?"
Neil: *cannot say more for fear of creating a paradox*
To the best of my knowledge, this conversation never book place, and I'm about 86% certain that Neil Gaiman cannot travel in time. But it amused me, because I am easily amused. And I honestly do have trouble getting from "you're like, totally gonna betray the Rangers" to the events in "Objects at Rest"; that's more of a personal betrayal of Lennier's own morals, and Delenn, than anything involving the Anla'shok. I WAS EXPECTING SOMETHING EPIC AND AWESOME, OKAY? Some situation in which Lennier believes he's doing the right thing, and it blows up massively, with long-term consequences. You could make an argument for his bringing the evidence against the Centauri being that event, but it doesn't quite work out, and isn't in any way a betrayal.
In conclusion: I do love that Morden has had a haircut in the afterlife. He and Lennier need their cheeks pinched very badly. As does the lovely Mr Gaiman. "Day of the Dead" blew me away when I was seventeen, even though I had no idea who any of these people were or why they were important. I thought at the time (and still think) that the concept of the dead returning for a night should be ficced in every possible fandom. It grieves me that I haven't been able to find an AU where Sheridan and Delenn's quarters are in the Brakiri territory. Obviously their dead would be Anna and Dukhat (well, maybe Branmer or Neroon), and the result would be awkwardness. Possibly followed by Scrabble. To sum up: CHEEKS PINCHED.
