Wow, thank you! Was able to pick up all of this week's and a few I'd missed from earlier.

Took one, thanks.

And thanks for commissioning it - great reaction from Mark on this one.

V'q sbetbggra gur raqvat. Ubyl penc.

V ubcr "Ubhfr naq Tneqra" vf ba gur yvfg sbe Znex gb jngpu.

Gargoyles 1x01 & 1x02 (since those are the ones that keep expiring):
http://markdoesstuff.fetchapp.com/get/63446084

DS9 6x19:
http://markdoesstuff.fetchapp.com/get/64aab412

Star Trek: The Next Generation Finale: http://markdoesstuff.fetchapp.com/get/8ed98dc4

Fvapynve unq, V guvax fur jnf n svnaprr ol gur raq bs frnfba bar, be ng yrnfg n tveysevraq jub jnf pyrneyl orvat frg hc gb (unq Zvpunry B'Uner abg qebccrq bhg bs gur fubj) freir gur fnzr ebyr va gur cybg nf Furevqna'f jvsr: ybfg naq cerfhzrq qrnq, ohg va snpg pncgherq naq nygrerq ol gur Funqbjf. V qba'g xabj sbe fher vs gur cyna jnf sbe gurz gb npghnyyl trg zneevrq orsber fur qvfnccrnerq, ohg rvgure jnl vg'f fgvyy n fvzvynevgl (vs abg n fgebat bar va naq bs vgfrys).

Naq QF9 jbhyqa'g unir gb nonaqba gurve Jbys 359 pbagvahvgl, gurl pbhyq whfg abg znxr gur Pbzznaqre n fheivibe bs n jne. Ohg, ernyyl, ertneqyrff, V crefbanyyl guvax vg'f gur cebcurpl guvat gung gvcf vg vagb orvat gbb fcrpvsvp gb qvfzvff.

But, again, they took it in a completely different and original direction on DS9, even if the starting point somehow came from Straczynski's pitch, and I personally don't find it that problematic even if a couple things like that got swiped. I'm not bothered by it, I just think it's interesting.

JMS got to make his show, and even though it was probably overshadowed by DS9 and its massive brand recognition (especially for some Star Trek fans who refused to check out B5 due to some misguided brand loyalty), I suspect it was still about as successful as it could have been at the time with or without the similarities.

I was thinking of things that weren't on that list, apparently.

A couple of big ones [the first is a huge spoiler for Babylon 5, the second is not nearly as big and is casually established within the pilot; both, I think, have been established in this opening two-parter for Deep Space 9]:

1. Gur Pbzznaqre bs gur fgngvba vf abg bayl n fheivibe bs n erprag jne, ohg nyfb ybfrf uvf jvsr naq vf gur xrl svther va n cebcurpl sebz na nyvra eryvtvba.

2. Gjb nyvra enprf ner srngherq, bar bs juvpu bayl erpragyl raqrq vgf ybat bpphcngvba bs gur bgure.

Now, from those starting points, the two shows went off in wildly different directions, but I do think those are significant similarities (especially the first; the second could plausibly be simply a good idea that was had by more than one person) that could be traced back to Straczynski's pitch influencing DS9's initial development.

The most significant and substantive similarity, of course - and this goes to the very core of the premise and set-up of Babylon 5 - is the [big ol' spoilers for both shows, perhaps the biggest possible] cebybatrq vagretnynpgvp jne bs znffvir vzcbeg vaibyivat jung pbhyq or pbafvqrerq uvture yriry orvatf guna uhzna.

But, frankly, that's always felt to me like fbzrguvat gung gur jevgref bs QF9 qvqa'g qrpvqr gb qb hagvy zvqjnl guebhtu gur frevrf (engure guna ng gur pbaprcgvba, jurer V'z zber jvyyvat gb oryvrir Fgenpmlafxv'f cvgpu zvtug unir unq fbzr vasyhrapr). Naq V qba'g guvax gung, ng gung cbvag va gvzr, O5 unq lrg ghearq bire vgf pneqf nf sne nf jurer vg jnf urnqvat, fb gur QF9 crbcyr jbhyqa'g unir orra pbclvat O5 va cebterff.

So unless someone at Paramount really did have Straczynski's pitch kept in their back pocket as, like, a guide to fall-back on throughout the production of DS9 (which I'm not really willing to believe), it would seem that this was just a coincidental development from writers with similar minds.

It also must be said that Straczynski is not immune to self-aggrandizing and some narcissistic behavior - and him citing things like obgu fubjf univat punenpgref jvgu anzrf cebabhaprq "Yrrgn" is just silly.

Still, on a more general note, Babylon 5 was unquestionably na vaabingbe jura vg pbzrf gb frevnyvmngvba va gryrivfvba, although in that regard, it wouldn't just be DS9 that followed.

The similarities are much more specific than that, but it's spoilery for both shows to go into them.

"Spot the stunt actors.

Hint: It's not all of them. "

It's not Marina Sirtis. As she tells it, she insisted on doing the stunt herself, and broke her tailbone when she hit the ground ...and later realized when finally seeing the finished episode how unnecessary it was given how small everyone was in that shot (especially back before HD).

I remember being surprised at how much I liked Nightmare Cafe back when it was on - I was thirteen years old at the time, so I couldn't say for sure if it was actually good, but I liked it. Despite the show being created by Wes Craven and starring Freddy Krueger, it was more Twilight Zone than actual horror. A lot of "careful what you wish for" type stories, if I remember correctly.

I can say for sure that I love that opening theme music, and always have.