Jump to content

Babylon 5

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tages~enwiki (talk | contribs) at 05:30, 31 December 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Babylon 5
Season 4 poster
Season 4 poster
Created byJ. Michael Straczynski
StarringBruce Boxleitner
Claudia Christian
Jerry Doyle
Mira Furlan
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes110
Production
Running time42 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkPTEN / TNT
ReleaseFebruary 22, 1993 –
November 25, 1998

Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The music for the TV series and related TV movies was composed by Christopher Franke. The pilot movie, The Gathering, aired on February 22, 1993, and the regular series initially aired from January 26, 1994 through November 25, 1998, first in syndication on the short-lived Prime Time Entertainment Network, then on cable network TNT. Because the show was aired every week in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 without a break, the last four or five episodes of the early seasons were shown in the UK before the US.

The series won several awards [1], including two Hugos for Best Dramatic Presentation.

Concept

Template:Spoiler

File:Old School.gif
Original B5 promo logo

The series, often held as a good example of space opera, consists of a five-year story arc taking place over five seasons of 22 episodes each. The hub of the story is a large space station named Babylon 5; the five mile (8 km) long, 2.5 million ton rotating colony is built to be a gathering place for fostering peace through diplomacy, trade, and cooperation. Babylon 5 is a center of political intrigue and conflict, and eventually becomes a pawn in a massive interstellar conflict from which it emerges with a victory over forces of darkness and chaos albeit at great cost. This is reflected in the opening monologue of each episode which includes "last, best hope for peace" in season one but changes to "last, best hope for victory" by season three.

Having long been a science fiction fan himself, Straczynski was determined to produce a science fiction series for adults where, for once, things would be done properly: consistent technology, "no kids or cute robots", no new "particle of the week" to tie up a plot. It was not a utopian future — there is greed and homelessness. It was not a place where everything was the same at the end of the day — main characters grow, develop, live, and die. An unabashedly political show, it was always ready to deal with politics, sex, religion, and philosophy.

File:Babylon5 02.jpg
The Babylon 5 Station

Unlike most television shows, this series was conceived as a novel, with a defined beginning, middle, and end. In addition, even tie-in novels, comic books, and short stories play a significant part of the overall story.

The overall story of the show was plotted out in some detail before the first episode was ever shot. Having a (loosely) predetermined plot was advantageous in many respects, as longer-term planning greatly reduced the working budget required on sets and costumes. The planned plot arc, allowing largely fixed sets and economies of scale, favorably compared with more episodic series which might require an entirely new set of props or costumes for each episode.

Though conceived as a whole, and with Straczynski writing most of the episodes (including all of the episodes of the third and fourth seasons, a feat never before accomplished in American television), it was necessary to adjust the plotline to accommodate external influences. The replacement of actor Michael O'Hare as the station commander after the first season, the unexpected departure of actresses Claudia Christian and Andrea Thompson, and the necessity to compress the fourth season story arc due to fears of cancellation proved to be major challenges. Consequently, season 4 is loaded with a dizzying amount of plot, and the final episode shot for season 4 was held back to be the ending for the fifth season.

Babylon 5 is often cited (by whom?) as raising the bar for science fiction television, using an arc-driven storytelling style now prevalent not only in sci-fi, but in mainstream dramas as well. Straczynski anticipated the rise of digital television, shooting the series in 16:9 format rather than the normal 4:3 - a full six years before ER and many other dramas began doing the same thing. Babylon 5 also revolutionized the use of computer technology in creating visual effects at a time when using models and miniatures was the norm.

Cast and primary characters

See also: List of people involved with Babylon 5

Regular cast

Recurring guest characters

There was also a group of actors who each played numerous bit parts, known informally as "The Babylon 5 Players". For example, each of the actors who played a Drazi ambassador during the series also appeared as another minor character elsewhere in the Babylon 5 saga.

Babylon stations

File:Babylon5 01.jpg
Another shot of the Babylon 5 station

Babylon 5 is the fifth, and last, of the Babylon space stations. Its predecessors, the original Babylon station, Babylon 2 and Babylon 3 were all sabotaged and destroyed before their completion. Twenty-four hours after it became fully operational Babylon 4 disappeared without a trace. The episode "Babylon Squared" and the two-part episode "War Without End" deal with the disappearance of Babylon 4. Babylon 5 is substantially smaller than the previous stations because so much money was spent on the prior stations. For example, Babylon 4 had its own propulsion system, while Babylon 5 has none.

Straczynski has said that he has detailed notes on the inauguration of the Babylon station program, and that one man was at the heart of the effort to get the first one built.

The three Babylon stations seen on screen were each a different color: Babylon 1 was red, Babylon 4 green, and Babylon 5 blue. (A persistent fanon rumor is that all five Babylon stations are colored in rainbow order - thus Babylon 2 would be orange, and Babylon 3 yellow. However, neither of those stations ever actually appeared onscreen.)

Bruce Boxleitner described the space station Babylon 5 as "... A free port for diplomats, travelers and businessmen. A combination of building the United Nations and Times Square on an intergalactic scale...", in the introduction of "The Guide to Babylon 5".

Ethnicity and language of characters

Most humans appear to mirror the ethnic composition of the United States. All speak American English, with the exception of Marcus Cole, who speaks with a distinct British accent. There is no account for possible evolutions of the language 250 years from now. Of the main characters, no one is from South America, Africa, or Asia. The latter two were represented in the pilot episode, but the characters of Benjamin Kyle and Laurel Takashima did not appear in the series.

Susan Ivanova, born in Russia, speaks with an American accent, but has some posters with writings in the cyrillic alphabet in her room, possibly indicating she knows the language. When Ivanova tries to learn the Minbari language, she obtains comical results, such as the inability of even giving simple commands: given her mastery of English, it could be inferred she was raised with English as a mother tongue. Her name is consistently accented Ivanova instead of Ivanova, which would be correct in Russian; however, this might fall in the boundaries of the evolution of Russian over a 250-year span.

Michael Garibaldi, with an Italian last name and an English first name, also speaks with an American accent, and at no time is shown to know Italian. However, he retains a heritage in that he orders Italian foodstuffs such as mozzarella by mail. He is also able to learn to read written Narn in a very short time, indicating exceptional linguistic skills, when reading the Book of G'Quan that G'Kar had loaned him. His name is also consistently mispronounced as "gah-ree-bohl-dee" instead of "gah-ree-bahl-dee". Garibaldi is a fairly uncommon surname in Italy, but it is the surname of national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Usage of English

Most aliens are able to speak human sounds, and speak English correctly; Londo Mollari is one of the few with a noticeable accent; however, most other Centauri do not have the accent. This accent was developed independently by actor Peter Jurasik and was most closely imitated by the actor playing Lord Refa. Of other aliens, G'Kar has a particular gift for speech and writing in both Narn and English.

Of all aliens, only Minbari are shown to speak a different language, heard only when humans are present to stress that they cannot understand what is being said. When Minbari are shown talking to each other, speeches are always in English; the same is true for Narn, Centauri and other races. English is therefore used to avoid long sequences with subtitles.

English, however, is mentioned explicitly as the "Earth language of commerce". No human speaking a language different than English is shown, but Marcus Cole makes a joke about the French when some of the First Ones refuse to speak English even if he understood it, suggesting that there are still French speakers who are hostile to the English language.

Various human characters appear who speak English with recognizable regional accents. Among them are British English (the telepath Byron, the character who introduces the Night Watch, and also Knight One in "And the Sky Full of Stars"), New Zealand (woman hiring the monks in "Passing Through Gethsemane"), a Nigerian accent used by a character called David Endawi in "Matters of Honour"), Australian (Ivanova's ex-boyfriend in "The War Prayer") and a Hispanic dock worker in "By Any Means Necessary", to mention but a few. Most of these are the native accents of the actor playing the role. The actor playing "Captain Jack" in "Racing Mars" spoke with a strange combination of Australian, American and Cockney accents all at once.

Civilizations

File:B5 aliens.jpg
G'Kar (left) of the Narn Regime and Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic

see main article: Civilizations in Babylon 5

One of the show's many themes is the cultural and social interaction between civilizations: the station is, after all, a diplomatic meeting-place. The show is as much political thriller as science fiction.

Five dominant civilizations are represented on Babylon 5, and more than a dozen less powerful ones.

Themes

Through its ongoing story arc, Babylon 5 found ways to portray themes relevant to modern social issues.

Authoritarianism vs. chaos; light vs. dark vs. gray

The central theme in Babylon 5 is the conflict between order and chaos, and the people caught in between.

The Vorlons and the Earth Alliance Government (as it had been under President Clark) both represent oppressive, authoritarian philosophies: you will do what we tell you to, because we tell you to do it. Who are you? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for a greater cause, or are you merely serving your own petty interests?

The Shadows represent chaos. Their belief is that by creating conflict, a stronger generation is born — pure "survival of the fittest". To accomplish this, the Shadows encourage conflict between other groups, who choose to serve their own glory or profit. What do you want? Money, territory, fame, power?

The Rangers, composed mainly of Minbari and Humans with a scattering of other races, represent a third way; their unwavering commitment to compassion and self-sacrifice, epitomised by the character of Marcus Cole, opposes both the emotionless war of the Vorlons and the chaotic brutality of the Shadows.

Ultimately, the main characters try to strike a balance: sometimes selfish, sometimes self-sacrificing, and making many mistakes along the way. Sometimes they impress us, and sometimes they horrify us. Do you have anything worth living for? Do you love? Do you have a true calling?

Straczynski occasionally hinted that there was a "fourth question." One suggestion that has been made for this question is, "Why are you here?" Another possibility is Lorien's final question to Sheridan: "Where are you going?"

It is (intentionally) ironic that the Earth Alliance government, an incarnation of Vorlon-style order, informally allied itself with the Shadows during the course of the series.

War and peace

The Babylon 5 timeline includes numerous major armed conflicts:

  • The first war between the Narn and Centauri, which ends four decades before the series.
  • The war between the Dilgar and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds (aided by the Earth Alliance), which takes place three decades before the series.
  • The war between the Humans and the Minbari (the Earth-Minbari War), which takes place ten years before the series starts.
  • The second war between the Narn and Centauri, which takes place during the series.
  • The aeons-old conflict between the Vorlons and the Shadows, which breaks out again during the series after a thousand-year lull.
  • The civil war between the Minbari religious and warrior castes.
  • The civil war between President Clark's corrupt Earthgov and the Babylon 5-led resistance.
  • The war between the new Interstellar Alliance and the Centauri Republic.
  • The war between the Earth Alliance and the Drakh.
  • The Telepath War, most of which takes place shortly after the series, from 2264-65.
  • The battle to free Centauri Prime from Drakh occupation, which takes place a decade and a half after the series.
  • The Great Burn, a nuclear war between factions of the Earth Alliance that takes place five centuries after the series.

Every conflict has a forgotten "third side," people crushed beneath the feet of the powerful. Usually a single individual willing to sacrifice himself is more powerful than the greatest army...whereas an individual willing to sacrifice everyone else to serve his own objectives can reduce entire worlds to ashes, and yet still be defeated.

After all is done, we find members of the opposing sides working together to forge a new future. (Examples: the Rangers, Delenn and Neroon; Delenn and Sheridan; Londo and G'Kar; Garibaldi and Lochley.)

Ultimately, every violent conflict is born out of self-interest, perpetuated by prejudice and ideology, and resolved by the realization that each side needs the other to survive. Hatred is associated with stupidity, forgiveness is associated with pragmatism, and wisdom follows conflict.

Love and true seekers

Unrequited love may be the source of all pain in Babylon 5. Ivanova loses everyone she loves. Lennier is the ultimate victim of unrequited love, but also of his own immaturity. Sheridan and Delenn know true love; Sheridan comes back from the dead for love ("Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?"). Marcus says, "Sometimes love is funny, sometimes very sad." Garibaldi takes a long time to figure it out. Vir knows what true love is from the beginning; his problem is getting to "number six". In the first season, Sinclair is cautioned by Garibaldi to find something to live for, rather than something for which to die. Later in the series, Marcus, the chaste warrior, sacrifices his life for the woman he loves. It was only at the last moment that he could tell her this.

But there are a few for whom physical desire has no appeal. They have a greater calling: finding the holy grail, all the names of God, or the fulfilment of a thousand year old prophecy.

Fighting the system

Straczynski's recurring message is that an individual can make a difference. This message is first presented in the episode "The Coming of Shadows", in a conversation between Emperor Turhan and Captain Sheridan. The Emperor dies before he can say that he is sorry for the crimes his government committed against the Narn. Straczynski considers this episode to be the centerpiece of the series.

Addiction

Addiction plays a recurring role in the saga of Babylon 5. Power as an addiction, work as an addiction, violence as an addiction and hatred as an addiction all play out repeatedly. Several major characters have a history of substance abuse: Garibaldi is a recovering alcoholic who succumbs to intolerable emotional pressures and attempts to find solace in drink; Londo Mollari is a heavy drinker; Dr. Franklin is addicted to synthetic stimulants ("stims"); and Lochley went through a period of hard drug abuse in her younger years. Abuse of "dust", a telepathic drug, also plays a recurring role in the story.

Obsession as a related theme occurs numerous times too. Sheridan is willing to break the rules of due process to learn the fate of his wife after discovering the connection between her and Morden. The Narn and Centauri hate each other to the point of obsession and addiction.

The Five Questions

Template:Spoiler In the episodes of Babylon 5, five questions are asked that ultimately are the basis for the conflict of the show's "main" five seasons. Four of these questions represent the dominant thoughts and worldview of each of the four major races of Babylon 5 - the Vorlons, the Shadows, the Minbari, and the Humans. The fifth is a "transitional" question, applicable to all of the other questions, and one that must be answered before the last two can be addressed.

Who are you? - the Question of the Vorlons.

The key question of the Vorlons is that of identity - who exactly are you? This question is not just about your name, your race, or even your cause - but about a true understanding of your worth or lack of worth in the universe. This is made clear in the episode "Come the Inquisitor" - as Sebastian, the Inquisitor of the Vorlons, asks the question of Delenn to ensure that the war against the shadows is fought with the "proper" intentions.

What do you want? - the Question of the Shadows.

The Shadows believe in greed, chaos, and the survival of the fittest. As a result, their key question is one that focuses not on who you are, or your worth, but on what your desires are and what you want. It is with this question that Morden, the human agent of the Shadows, entraps Mollari (and presumably the Earth Alliance) into working for them. The Shadows can support opposing sides of a conflict as long as it serves their goals.

Where are you going? - The Transitional Question.

It was during the Shadow War that the younger races - led by the Minbari and the Humans, finally had a chance to define themselves, as they chose their side in the war, and ultimately make the choice that ends the war. This question is the most vital question, and must be asked before any true progress can be made. This question asks what you will do with yourself, where you will go, how far you are willing to go, and how firmly you will stand for your beliefs. This question was answered in "Into the Fire" when Sheridan and Delenn tell the shadows that the younger races will no longer be pawns in a misguided war. The truth about how far they will go to gain their own independance - to find and to follow their own ideologies and their own questions, is demonstrated in the sacrificing of Drazi cruiser and Minbari ship to save the lives of Sheridan and Delenn and in the following statement by Delenn "You can kill us one by one, and those who follow us, and those who follow them, on and on, every race, every planet. Until there's no one left to kill. You will have failed as guardians. And you will be alone."

Whom do you serve? - the Question of the Minbari

The Minbari were divided into three castes: Warrior, Religious, and Worker. The answer to the Minbari question is seen most clearly in the character of Delenn, in the civil war between the Warrior and Religious Castes, and in the restructuring of the Gray Council. Each of these serves to show that the dominant Minbari value is that of service - Delenn as a character is dominated by this characteristic, even as she shows that true service is more than a blind obedience, and can even include disobedience and a challenging of the authorities. The civil war is a war fought because the Warrior Caste have lost the idea of service and have become instead consumed by a desire for power and prestige, while the Religious Caste has become militant in their defense of this history and culture of service. Delenn finally restructures the Gray Council - the Minbari ruling body - to give the Worker Caste 5 of the 9 seats on the council to ensure that neither the Religious or Warrior Castes forget that their purpose is to serve the people of Minbar, not to seek power or prestige of their own.

Who do you trust? - the Question of Man

This is the question to be decided by Mankind, and one that ultimately has no easy answer. Trust has played a significant role in all the workings of Babylon 5, and its answer ultimately revolves somewhere along the lines of a trust in justice, freedom, equality, and goodwill.

Music and scoring

The original pilot movie had music composed by Stewart Copeland. When the show was picked up as a weekly series Copeland was not available, and so Straczynski hired Christopher Franke, of Tangerine Dream fame. Franke stayed on as the composer for all five seasons of Babylon 5, and three of the Babylon 5 telefilms. When Straczynski obtained funds to create a new writer's edition of the pilot movie, the original Stewart Copeland score was replaced with a new score by Christopher Franke.

The episodes

Main article: List of Babylon 5 episodes

Each season shared its name with an episode which was central to that season's plot.

  • Season One: "Signs and Portents"
  • Season Two: "The Coming of Shadows"
  • Season Three: "Point of No Return"
  • Season Four: "No Surrender, No Retreat"
  • Season Five: "The Wheel of Fire"

Other made-for-TV movies

Spin-offs

Crusade

The spin-off series Crusade (Lurkers' Guide entry) ran on TNT for thirteen episodes, having been set up by the TV-movie A Call to Arms. The production team received help from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to make sure that the series depicted science and technology accurately (JPL press release). But creative differences between Straczynski and TNT caused problems; the network wanted more sex and violence (AICN) and forced Straczynski to begin the first episode with a fistfight. The sex-and-violence request was later withdrawn and TNT in fact allocated more money to Crusade, giving the actors better uniforms and new sets mid-season, but due to the creative differences TNT eventually decided to cancel the series after thirteen episodes had been produced, but before any of them were aired. At the time of the cancellation, no major story arcs had yet come into play.

Legend of the Rangers

A made-for-TV movie titled To Live and Die in Starlight was produced by the Sci Fi Channel. It was the proposed pilot episode of a new series titled Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers. Rescheduled after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the movie aired on January 19, 2002. However, it was scheduled against an NFL AFC Divisional Championship playoff game featuring the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. The pilot's poor ratings killed the network's interest in a series. Straczynski posted the following to Usenet on January 27, 2002:

The east coast ratings got hammered by the football game, which was the highest rated such game in something like 5 years. The B5 male demos are pretty much the same as for sports, and we lost heavily to football. So there we did not do well. By contrast, on the west coast, where the show aired *after* the game had finished, we not only met but *exceeded* SFC's expectations, getting a 3.2 or 3.6 in many markets, which is actually pretty unheard of for a basic cable network. The problem is that the average, 1.7, is still what's used for advertising.

The Memory of Shadows

In 2004 and early 2005, rumors widely circulated about a planned 'Babylon 5' movie for theatrical release. However, on February 25th, a post from Straczynski announced that the project had fallen through and was for all practical purposes dead. The proposed movie, titled The Memory of Shadows (TMOS), was written by Straczynski. Filming was to have begun in April 2005 in the UK with Steven Beck as the director.

Several sources have claimed that factions within Warner Brothers wanted to recast established Babylon 5 roles with younger and more well-known actors, causing a major controversy among fans of Babylon 5. Straczynski acknowledged the subject, has stated that the negotiations were problematic, but has said that he is unable to directly comment on the issue.

According to statements and clues made by Straczynski in a convention appearance in New Jersey, and statements on a Usenet newsgroup, it is known that the planned storyline connected to that of the short-lived Crusade television series. In this movie the technology of the ancient Shadow race is being unleashed on the galaxy by an unknown force. EarthForce intelligence officer Diane Baker, whose brother was recently killed in a mysterious explosion, intends to find out who is behind the conspiracy. Joining her is Galen, a technomage who has been charged with keeping the technology out of the hands of those who would abuse it.

Novels, novelizations, short stories, and comic books

Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared media universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the B5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski. The later Del Rey books are considered to be more canonical than some of the earlier Dell ones, although -- per Straczynski's own remarks -- canonical elements exist in every single book published to date; Straczynski's deeper involvement in the novel-publishing program from 1996 onward having ensured a greater level of canonicity within such works.

Additionally, the creator himself penned a number of short stories expanding on several key story-points from the television series, along with a number of other established authors, with all such tales considered as "real" as the TV show itself. The comic books published by DC are also fully endorsed, with JMS again either having directly written or contributed to all of the issues in one form or another.

Mongoose Publishing, the publisher of recent Babylon 5 role-playing game (RPG) material, has announced that it will be releasing a line of Babylon 5 novels and graphic novels beginning in late 2005. More information is available at their website.

Novels

The seventh and ninth Dell novels are considered fully canonical by J. Michael Straczynski, with canon elements interspersed throughout the other books.

  1. Babylon 5: Voices by John Vornholt (1995, ISBN 0440220572)
  2. Babylon 5: Accusations by Lois Tilton (1995, ISBN 0440220580)
  3. Babylon 5: Blood Oath by John Vornholt (1995, ISBN 0440220599)
  4. Babylon 5: Clark's Law by Jim Mortimore (1996, ISBN 044022229X)
  5. Babylon 5: The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name by Neal Barrett Jr. (1996, ISBN 0440222303)
  6. Babylon 5: Betrayals by S.M. Stirling (1996, ISBN 0440222346)
  7. Babylon 5: The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos (1997, ISBN 0440223482; 2002 edition: ISBN 0345452186)
  8. Babylon 5: Personal Agendas by Al Sarrantonio (1997, ISBN 0440223512)
  9. Babylon 5: To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan (1997, ISBN 0440223547; 2003 edition: ISBN 0345452194)

The Psi Corps Trilogy

All are considered canon: written by J. Gregory Keyes.

  1. Babylon 5: Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps (1998, ISBN 0345427157)
  2. Babylon 5: Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant (1999, ISBN 0345427165)
  3. Babylon 5: Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester (1999, ISBN 0345427173)

The Centauri Trilogy

All are considered canon: written by Peter David.

  1. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - The Long Night of Centauri Prime (1999, ISBN 0345427181)
  2. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - Armies of Light and Dark (2000, ISBN 034542719X)
  3. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - Out of the Darkness (2000, ISBN 0345427203)

The Technomage Trilogy

All are considered canon: written by Jeanne Cavelos.

  1. Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Casting Shadows (2001, ISBN 0345427211)
  2. Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Summoning Light (2001, ISBN 034542722X)
  3. Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Invoking Darkness (2001, ISBN 0345438337)

Novelizations

All are considered canon: written by various authors.

Short Stories

All are considered canon: written by various authors.

Comic Books

All are considered canon: written by various authors.

Monthly DC Comics Series (1994-95)

  1. "In Darkness Find Me," written by J. Michael Straczynski (December 1994, DC Comics)
  2. "Treason," written by Mark Moretti, story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (January 1995, DC Comics)
  3. "In Harm's Way," written by Mark Moretti, story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (February 1995, DC Comics)
  4. "The Price of Peace," story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (March 1995, DC Comics)
  5. "With Friends Like These...", written by Timothy DeHaas, story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (June 1995, DC Comics)
  6. "Against the Odds," written by Timothy DeHaas, story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (July 1995, DC Comics)
  7. "Survival the Hard Way," written by Timothy DeHaas, story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (August 1995, DC Comics)
  8. "Silent Enemies," written by Timothy DeHaas, story premise by J. Michael Straczynski (September 1995, DC Comics)
  9. "Duet for Human and Narn in C Sharp," written by David Gerrold (October 1995, DC Comics)
  10. "Coda for Human and Narn in B Flat," written by David Gerrold (November 1995, DC Comics)
  11. "The Psi Corps and You!", written by Timothy DeHaas (December 1995, DC Comics)

Babylon 5: In Valen's Name

  1. "In Valen's Name, Part 1," written by J. Michael Straczynski (February 1998, DC Comics)
  2. "In Valen's Name, Part 2," written by Peter David, story by J. Michael Straczynski (March 1998, DC Comics)
  3. "In Valen's Name, Part 3," written by Peter David, story by J. Michael Straczynski (April 1998, DC Comics)

DVDs

The Babylon 5 series has been released in DVD form. Included are all episodes, selected director and cast commentary, previews of episodes, and a multimedia database of Babylon 5 related information. As of 2005, all five seasons of the original series, as well as the six movies and the spinoff series Crusade, are available individually for purchase, although not in all regions. The Legend of the Rangers is currently unavailable in the United States, but is scheduled to be released as a standalone disc on March 14, 2006.

There is also a box set available in the UK called Babylon 5 : The Complete Universe, which, as one would expect, contains every Babylon 5 series and movie and the spinoff series Crusade.

Mastering problems

The transfer of Babylon 5 to DVD created significant problems with regard to special-effects/CGI footage. Several factors complicated the process.

  • Although originally broadcast in the standard television aspect ratio of 4:3, all live-action footage was filmed on Super 35 film (with a ratio of 1.65:1). The idea was that, once widescreen televisions (with an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 1.78:1) became more popular, the episodes could be easily converted into a widescreen format.
  • CGI shots were rendered in the 4:3 ratio, but designed so that the top and bottom of each shot could be removed to create a widescreen image without ruining the image composition.
  • All of the purely live-action shots were stored as high-definition digital images.
  • However, CGI shots, and shots combining live-action with CGI, were stored in the much lower-definition NTSC digital format. (Again, the expectation was that it would be relatively cheap in the future to recreate the CGI as widescreen.)
  • Over the years, the original computer-generated models, etc. have been lost, making it necessary to use the old 4:3 CGI shots.

This has resulted in several consistent flaws throughout the Babylon 5 DVD release. In particular, quality drops very significantly whenever a scene cuts from purely live-action to a shot combining live-action and CGI. This is especially noticeable on the PAL DVDs, since CGI shots had to be converted from NTSC as well as being blown up to fit a widescreen television.

Video games

In 1998 a video game based on Babylon 5, named Into the Fire, was being developed by Sierra, the publishers of Homeworld. This game was to have cast the player as the pilot of a Starfury fighter craft through many missions of a dynamic storyline, while also giving the player an opportunity to "move up through the ranks" and eventually take command of capital ships and even fleets. It was to feature large battles and realistic physics. Multiplayer competitive and cooperative modes would have allowed players to pilot ships of alien races. Christopher Franke composed and recorded new music for the game, and live action footage was filmed with the primary actors from the series.

Work on this game ended on September 21, 1999, when, as part of a corporate reorganization, Sierra cancelled it and laid off its development staff.

The web site FirstOnes.com followed the game's development and demise, and continues to track Babylon 5 mods for other games. FirstOnes.com also hosts the site of the Space Dream Factory, an independent project to develop several standalone games. The first of these, titled "Babylon 5: I've Found Her", is set five years before the series, and can be downloaded free of charge at the project's website.

Another independently developed, freely available mod is The Babylon Project, a total conversion of the computer game Freespace 2. The mod features several campaigns set during the Earth-Minbari War and the Raider Wars. Additional campaigns, including the Earth Alliance Civil War, are planned. Active development continues on the project's forums at Hard Light Productions.

There is a modification available for the Babylon 5 universe for Malfador Machinations' strategy game Space Empires IV. However, it remains incomplete at this time, presumably waiting for the release of Space Empires V early in 2006.

Other Merchandise

Trivia

One of the show's Hugo awards is used as a prop in the final episode, the first time that a Hugo has been shown on-screen in a series that won a Hugo.

Alluding to the historical origin of the station's name, Babylon 5 is located between a star named Tigris and a planet named Euphrates (also known as Epsilon III).

In the B5 universe, every intelligent species in the galaxy has, apparently on its own, developed the food that we call Swedish meatballs. Each species has a different name for it (the Minbari refer to it as "flarn", the Narn call it "breen"). This is reminiscent of a phenomenon reported in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: every intelligent race has a drink called "gin and tonic" - but only the name is the same, and the actual drink is unique to each species.

Actor Robert Foxworth was supposed to appear in the episode Severed Dreams (as his recurring character, General Hague). However, Foxworth's agent had double-booked him on episodes of B5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at the same time; the actor chose DS9, mostly because as a two part episode (Homefront / Paradise Lost) it would net him a bigger salary. General Hague was subsequently killed off (offscreen) and the character of Major Ed Ryan was brought in as a last minute replacement. Ironically, while Hague was a loyalist fighting against a coup on Earth, his DS9 character (Admiral Leyton) was trying to instigate one; similarly, his character on Stargate SG-1 was also a victim of a coup, and his Star Trek: Enterprise character (Administrator V'Las) was attempting to score a Romulan coup within the Vulcan High Command.

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Babylon 5.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Babylon_5&oldid=33345425"