I would have typed this up earlier, but I've been working and I seem to spend the time I have at home on the internet chatting. If there was a computer where I work I would use that because it's been so dull, but there isn't so I can't. I have to make do with the bungee bag I fixed and little pingy things (they do have a name, but noone knows it). But yesterday I got in relatively late and everyone else was in bed so I had free reign over the computer. I was gonna go to the rally but I realised I had to work today and 4 hours sleep woulda been worse than the 5 I actually did get. I told you I could go off the point!

Woh, I'm surprised that I was the first person to ask him the question! It makes me feel honoured! :-)

Okay, this is what you were really here for. I asked the question how did the final version of The Exodus differ from his idea. And he told me (and the rest of the people there) in great detail hoe it did. My memory is fading, so this is just what I remember. I have checked it with BritSlider to make sure it's not totally wrong. So thanks to Brit for his help. And the lift.

In this universe, the comet that hit Jupiter, Schumacher Levy, had some effect on Earth and the Earth suffered a kind of nuclear winter. There are a few people still around, mainly centered around shopping centres where there is still food. But there weren't many people and their life expectancies weren't long or something like that. The Sliders slide in. The find a Motorola factory (nice lttle touch!) which made mobiles or whatever that used the same chip as the original timer. Quinn and Arturo work out that the timer worked because of a flaw in the chip and they all go testing the chips in the old timer to see if they can get it to work again. They manage to find one which can get them home. However, they find out that by connecting it to some other stuff, they can save the people of this world.

The wormhole that would be created would be bigger. Big enough to carry two lorries through. However, because of the greater strain on the chip, it would only last for a few minutes before burning out and the Sliders would therefore be back to square one since they could not travel home. The Sliders have to decide whether to go home or help the people. As JRD put it, "Of course, being our Sliders they would help these peopel." Or words to that effect.

Quinn goes off on his own on reconnissance (sp?) for a new world for the people. The first world he comes to is a green fieldy area. He meets a Native American riding a horse. The Native and Quinn stare each other out for a while and then the native says, "Go! This land is taken!" Obviously that wouldn't be a good place to settle, so Quinn moves on. He then finds a seemingly paradise world with lovely flowers, trees etc. He goes back and a team goes through to explore further. Unfortunately, at night they find a deadly problem. There is a flower in the area which blooms at night, and as it does so releases huge amounts of something similar to opium. No humans like the refugees could withstand these amounts, so that world has to be abandoned. By now time is running out and they settle for a world which just about satisfies their needs.

While this is happening, the people on the doomed Earth have begun gathering together and deciding what few things to take. The example JRD used was, "If you're starting a new [place], do you take the Venus de Milo or the last of the tinned food." Because they had to have some conflict in the episode (ie something happening) one of the groups wants to get rid of some of the people going through so they can take more of their own stuff. Quinn and the professor would be involved with that group and Wade and Remmy with the nice group and somewhow they would find out about the nasty group and try to stop it. (Brit seems to remember more about that bit than me :-)

The end would have been the original end before JRD decided to leave because it did not, as far as we could tell, end with the death of the professor. The Sliders slid with the two lorryloads or something, but they back to sliding to fins home randomly again. :-(

JRD was quite annoyed about the brainfluid-sucking Rickman (or 'militaristic society with a demented brain-sucking bad guy'.) and how the story actually turned out. I told him that I liked his better when he finished answering the question and in reply he said, "Yes, well, that's because it was a better idea." Even though that's a hugely egotistic thing to say, I agree with him totally. But he also said that by that time he'd given up caring and he just had to get out of there.

When he was answering the question, although it was partly directed at his entire audience (a bigger crowd than any other I saw there), some of it he actually said to me, well said whilst looking and talking to me since it was my question. I think mine was the first or second question actually. I decided I'd worked up enough courage to ask a question and to ask before too many people got questions in!

BritSlider and I were lucky to get 2 Sliders questions asked. He does have a tendency to go on and he does have a huge catalogue of work to ask about. There was only one specific Voyager one. Thank goodness. And I would have asked him about what he would do if there were a season 6, but there wasn't the chance. There were so many questions and he still went ovber his time. That meant that they didn't show a Sldiers episode, or if they did it was later because all those who would watch it were at the talk. Brit and I would have watched it, but because JRD overran, we didn't cos we went to see Mira Furlan. I think it was Strangers and Comrades though, since that was the one on the previous day, and I've already seen that and if it wasn't it would probably be one I will see this week sometime. We did watch 'Robin of Sherwood' actually. Ha! Brit actually remembers when it was on back in the 80's! I don't! But my parents do and my mother thinks she has one on tape somewhere. I'll have to seacrh it out and see if he's in it.

JRD also often swtiched between character and actor names. If you didn't watch Sliders (I bet some of the poeple didn't) or didn't watch it enough to bother about actor names, it would have been quite confusing!

I actually forgot several things when I wrote out the original post because I was in 4 chats at the saem time. 4 chats and reading is easy, 4 chats and writing isn't.

I notice that they rarely sell Sliders cards at these places. They had everything else except for Sliders. Oh, there was one promo card, but they wanted £5 for it. There were a few piccies, but not as many as for other shows. Brit and I went through them and worked out the once we'd seen ebfore and the episodes (where relevant). Oh, we know waaaaaaay too much. But we weren't quite sure on something. On the caption competition (which we didn't enter) there was a Sliders picture amoung others. It depicted Quinn, Wade and Arturo reading over a note and candles were obviously present, but we never quite decided what episode it was. Any help? We may have not entered that, but I won a prize on the raffle!!!! I was surprised!!! I only bought a few tickets 10 minutes before the draw!!!!

Anyway, hope this was at least marginally interesting! :-) Oh, Tf, if you remind me I'll reply to your question in mail (or here if you prefer). It's not long, but there was probably something I wanted to ask you as well (you know how I forget things :-). Any questions can be asked, but if I wrote down every little detail, I'd be here for ever.

Oh, that reminds me! I have to post my camera films!

Questions? Comments? I may have forgotton some stuff (again).

Sarah.
http://www.valdez.co.uk/sarah/

P.S. Hey Tigger! It really has been windy today! And I still didn't lose my food! :-)

Cheeky girl...

Date: 7/29/99
From: sleepingtiger

It was a freak wind.
st

Wow, that *was* a lot better! Thanks!

Date: 7/29/99
From: Blinker

BTW, the episode from the caption competition was Pilot, Part 1. It's the scene where they find the picture of Quinn's sister on the ice world.

Blinker 7:-)

Way cool

Date: 7/29/99
From: informant

That really would have been a classic episode. Too bad it had to turn out the way it did.

I'm trying to decide if JRD sounds rude, or nice and opinionated.

Thanks Blinker!

Date: 7/29/99
From: Slider_Sarah

That would explain why we couldn't get it - it hasn't been on here for 2 or 3 years. And even then I'm not sure I saw that bit of that one.

Oh and "Marigold with Blue?" was Cat in Queeg, 2. something talking to Lister just before Holly joins them. That one was easy when I noticed it! There were 2 others, but I don't remember what they were. Did you get yours yet?

Robin wants to know what a lorry is. For anyone who doesn't know, it's a big long trucky thing that drives on a road! It's called a lorry!

Sarah.
http://www.valdez.co.uk/sarah/

nice and opinionated

Date: 7/29/99
From: Slider_Sarah

Sorry informant, you postyed at the same time I posted to Blinker. I wouldn't describe him really as rude. He was good about chatting, and walking amoung us instead of standing on the stagey thing (the others did). I mentioned those tihngs in the previous post I did. He does have an ego and he likes to ahve the last word (as at the farewell speechy thing at the end), but I wouldn't really call him rude. Other than that one comment. And he was actually quite good about it considering. He was also pretty funny!

Sarah.

Thanks

Date: 7/29/99
From: informant

I would like to work with him one day.
Good to know he's nice.

WoW

Date: 7/29/99
From: TemporalFlux

So JRD's original tale wrapped up what happened to the original timer after Egypt world (apparently by his take, they had carried it with them...I mean, if the process burned out the timer; they would have to have another to keep going with). Classic...simply classic (especially the Motorola Factory!). As far as Shumacher Levy affecting earth...I would be curious to know exactly how. The first thing that pops to mind is that some of the larger pieces of the comet were deflected towards Earth...and the ensuing impacts caused the nuclear winter scenario (since Shumacher hit Jupiter many years before Exodus - depending on the comet fragments speed...pieces could have reached earth in that time).

It's also interesting to note that the original tale featured no Rickman, no Jensen and no Maggie. That once and for all shows those were not JRD creations...but instead creations by the existing production under Fox and Peckinpah's guidance.

But boy, JRD wasn't exaggerating in the articles when he talked of how his story was bastardized. It was. If only his idea would have been used...we would have been spared of the horrible road Sliders went down. That was the turning point in story...the decision that sent Sliders careening toward the horrible Rickman tale that led to the Kromagg conquered Earth Prime. Sigh.

One quick question though...what's a "lorryload"? I think I've fallen into a cultural gulf here... ;-/ (I often fall into such gulfs with people in the next city away from me, though...so it's nothing new ;-D

Thanks for sharing this with us! My only question was if JRD mentioned what projects he's about to working on...and if the new Indiana Jones movie is amoung them. I feel he probably mentioned what he's got coming up...but I could be wrong.

Oh, and I believe a person can be rude like JRD has done...when they are right. Hey, it may be annoying to some, but if the person knows what they are talking about...I mean, what can you say? ;-)

Till next time...

Tf
temporalflux@hotmail.com
http://www.dimensionofcontinuity.com

Sarah, Goddess of Information...

Date: 7/29/99
From: stuslide

...thanks for the information about the original idea to Exodus. It was definitely a better idea than the finished product. Keep sliding.

Stuslide
www.angelfire.com/ky/sliderspinoff
"Just think of the possibilities."

Lorryload = truckload <End>

Date: 7/29/99
From: Blinker

.

lorries and trucks

Date: 7/29/99
From: Slider_Sarah

Thanks Blinker for sorting that one out! I had to explain it to Robin! I used the words 'trucky-thing' in my description, but I had no idea you actually called them trucks! Trucks over here are much smaller and completely different. I suppose SL4ever and I should really get back to our dictionary <sigh>. It keeps on getting bigger.

Glad you all appreciated the info! I appreciated his answer! This is as close as we can remember of the original answer. There are people out there with video camera stuff of it, but unfortunately I don't know any of them. :-(

Personally, I loved the motorola factory thing as well. But I think Brit and I might have been the only ones in the audience who REALLY understood that. Perhaps there were others, but I have a feeling we were the only ones who laughed a little!

He didn't go into detail about the comet and the nuclear winter. I suppose we should ahev asked him that as well.

There wasn't ALL that much point to this reply, but I wanted something to do! :-)

Sarah.

A thought

Date: 7/29/99
From: informant

What if the government tried testing some Earth defense device on this comet, and caused an explosion which sent dust, and chunks of it our way?

Could explain it, I guess.

rude? No, just frank

Date: 7/29/99
From: emzee

And I sense JRD is the frankly honest type: "sorry if it hurts, it's just the truth." I can see how that approach does not work so well in an industry full of yes men!

What a great story! It breaks my heart what happened to it.

Thanks Slider_Sarah. I wish I could have been there, you lucky ducky! ; )
MZ

Original URL http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/9810
Nominated by TemporalFlux