In Shadow of the Giant, OSC uses the term "EarthGov," and I wondered if that was a nod to Babylon 5, which, afik, originated that name. Which leads me to wonder: what would Uncle Orson have to say if he were to review B5? One of the great things about B5 was how J. Michael Straczynski would interact with fans and, to some extent, incorporate their feedback as the show evolved. Reminiscent of this forum, in fact. JMS had a big thing about how he believed that if he created fiction that *he* would really like if he were the fan and not the writer, then others would like it as well. The usenet forums provided a sanity check for this.
Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
I knew the term "EarthGov" sounded familiar! I can't believe I didn't notice that. It's been too long since I've seen B5.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Only watched about ten minutes of Babylon 5. No influence, I'm afraid. I thought of EarthGov because it's OBVIOUS.
Posted by polemic (Member # 7672) on :
You might want to check out B5 now that it's on DVD. The story is great, very novel-like in the continuity and intertwinedness of its arcs, with fabulous character performances by the likes of Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, etc. It's one of the few SF works that I hold to be on the level of, say, Ender's Game ;-).