How was JMS in that regard?
My memory of B5 is that JMS was kind of pugnacious about claiming he had a plan, and had always had a plan, and yes that too was part of the plan. There were a couple of episodes that tied themselves in Gordian knots to be canon-compliant (the whole B-squared thing), but they were indeed canon-compliant.
For things like ship-speed, well, JMS had a thing for killing off minor characters with all pomp and tragedy, so there's more than one instance of, e.g., somebody being stranded in a starfury and eventually making it back to the main ship, only to die of radiation poisoning. Right after he explains the key plot point he witnessed.
(JMS had an escape-clause though: whenever something snazzy and potentially logic-busting needed to happen, he had the Minbari or the vacuum-cleaner guy do it. They were sort of his own personal flabotinum.)
whenever something snazzy and potentially logic-busting needed to happen, he had the Minbari or the vacuum-cleaner guy do it. They were sort of his own personal flabotinum
Bwah! Good point.
I would say that B5, of all of them, was the most hung up on plot-point continuity. And they jumped through hoops to keep the continuity even when outside factors intervened (i.e. the network demanding Sinclair be replaced with a bigger name actor or Claudia Christian failing to re-up for season 5). Somehow it all held together.
I had my issues with B5 (dialog sucked, and half the actors were only barely competent), but they did their best to keep it all understandable. Besides, Neil Gaiman wrote an episode! (which I've never seen, alas)
I would say that B5, of all of them, was the most hung up on plot-point continuity. And they jumped through hoops to keep the continuity even when outside factors intervened (i.e. the network demanding Sinclair be replaced with a bigger name actor or Claudia Christian failing to re-up for season 5). Somehow it all held together.
He had a continuity bible, did JMS, or so Gaiman claims when telling the tale about the episode he wrote.
IIRC, most of the problems with S5 involved (Pete of Reason could detail it better than I) the fact that they weren't sure they'd get it, so they had to cram 90% of the series arc climax into S4, as otherwise things would be left dangling hard in the event of cancellation.
I've seen a few little errors, like Carter's address changing within an episode, Daniel using an archeological term incorrectly, some confusion about the doctor's rank - but it tends to be the more minor stuff.
Daniel using an archeological term incorrectly,
Oh, more than once, believe me. This is just one of the reasons I can only enjoy Stargate whilst wearing my "It's only a TV show" hat.
Even during the early days of the X-Files they had Scully stick a rectal thermometer in a kid's mouth, ER fucked up with the Babinksy reflex for years - at least Daniel remembers that he's an archeologist and usually handle that stuff, or at least the linguistics.
Even during the early days of the X-Files they had Scully stick a rectal thermometer in a kid's mouth, ER fucked up with the Babinksy reflex for years - at least Daniel remembers that he's an archeologist and usually handle that stuff, or at least the linguistics.
"What am I, a psychologist?" --Late-season Mulder, paraphrased
"AUGH!" --Approximately ten thousand X-Files fans
Approximately ten thousand X-Files fans
I think you may have underestimated to the power of 100, at least.
"What am I, a psychologist?" --Late-season Mulder, paraphrased
Yes. Yes you are. It was what you got your bachelor's in, and your specialty at the FBI before you got stuck with the X-Files.
Grrrr.....
