| Babylon 5 | |
|---|---|
.svg) Franchise logo | |
| Created by | J. Michael Straczynski |
| Original work | Babylon 5 |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Years | 1993–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | List of novels |
| Comics | List of comics |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | Television films: Direct-to-video: |
| Television series | |
Babylon 5 is an Americanspace operamedia franchise created by writer and producerJ. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label in association with Straczynski’s Synthetic Worlds Ltd. andWarner Bros. Domestic Television. After the successful airing of apilot movie, Warner Bros. commissioned the series as part of the second year schedule of programs provided by itsPrime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN).[1] It premiered in the United States on January 26, 1994 and ran for the intended five seasons. Describing it as having "always been conceived as, fundamentally, a five year story, a novel for television", Straczynski wrote 92 of the 110 episodes and served asexecutive producer, along withDouglas Netter.[2]
Set between the years 2257 and 2262, it depicts a future where Earth hassovereign states and a unifyingEarthgov. Colonies within the Solar System, and beyond, make up theEarth Alliance and contact has been made with numerousspacefaring races. Theensemble cast portray alien ambassadorial staff and humans assigned to the five mile longBabylon 5 space station, a center for trade and diplomacy. Described as "one of the most complex programs on television" the variousstory arcs drew upon the prophesies, religious zealotry, racial tensions, social pressures and political rivalries which existed within each of their cultures to create a contextual frame for the motivations and consequences of the protagonists' actions.[3] With a strong emphasis oncharacter development set against a backdrop of conflicting ideologies on multiple levels, Straczynski wanted "to take an adult approach to SF, and attempt to do for television SF whatHill Street Blues did for cop shows."[4]
The original show spawned a multimedia franchise of spin-offs consisting of a miniseries, sixtelevision movies, adirect-to-videoanimated film, twenty-two novels, two tabletop games (an RPG and a wargame), and various other media such as technical books, comics, and trading cards.
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Release format | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon 5: The Gathering | February 22, 1993 | Richard Compton | J. Michael Straczynski | Douglas Netter J. Michael Straczynski | Direct-to-TV | PTEN |
| Babylon 5: In the Beginning | January 4, 1998 | Mike Vejar | TNT | |||
| Babylon 5: Thirdspace | July 19, 1998 | Jesús Salvador Treviño | ||||
| Babylon 5: The River of Souls | November 8, 1998 | Janet Greek | ||||
| Babylon 5: A Call to Arms | January 3, 1999 | Mike Vejar | ||||
| Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers | January 19, 2002 | |||||
| Babylon 5: The Road Home | August 15, 2023 | Matt Peters | J. Michael Straczynski Sam Register | Direct-to-video | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
The Gathering is the pilot, depicting the arrival of several major characters at the Babylon 5 station in the year 2257.
In the Beginning depicts the events of theEarth-Minbari War, as revealed in the first few seasons, in chronological order, and in greater detail than the main series.
Thirdspace is mostly a stand-alone story. The horror-based story, which ties into theShadow/Vorlon plotline, centers on the return of an ancient and overwhelming alien force which had once attempted to destroy life in theMilky Way.
The River of Souls is mostly a stand-alone story.
A Call to Arms sets up the initial premise of theCrusade series, depicting the alienDrakh species releasing ananovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on the planet within five years, if it is not stopped. To that end, the Earth Alliance destroyerExcalibur is sent to look for a cure beyond Earth itself.
To Live and Die in Starlight, also known asBabylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers was produced by theSci-Fi Channel. It was the proposed pilot episode of a new series of the same name. Rescheduled after theSeptember 11 attacks, the film aired on January 19, 2002. However, it was scheduled against anNFLAFC Divisional Championship playoff game. The pilot's poor ratings contributed to the lessening of the network's interest in a series pick-up, as did the poor reception it received from fans and critics alike, particularly for its depiction of a virtual-reality weapon, but the final nail in its coffin was the dispute between Warner Bros. andVivendi Universal (owners of the Sci-Fi Channel) over revenue-sharing for the potential weekly series.
In the Beginning, Thirdspace The River of Souls, A Call to Arms, The Legend of the Rangers, andThe Lost Tales are sometimes marketed asBabylon 5: The Movies.
In May 2023, J. Michael Straczynski announced plans on hissocial media for adirect-to-video animated film, produced byWarner Bros. Animation, and distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment.[5] On May 10, 2023, the film's title was officially announced to beBabylon 5: The Road Home, with Matt Peters directing. It was released on August 14, 2023 .[6]
| Series | Seasons | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||
| Babylon 5 | 5 | 110 (+ 6 TV films) | February 22, 1993 – November 25, 1998 (1993-02-22 –1998-11-25) | PTEN (1993–1997)TNT (1998) | ||
| Crusade | 1 | 13 | June 9 – September 1, 1999 (1999-06-09 –1999-09-01) | TNT | ||
| Babylon 5: The Lost Tales | 1 | 2 | July 31, 2007 | Never aired on TV, Released on DVD | ||
| UntitledBabylon 5 reboot | 1 | TBA | TBA | The CW | ||
The first installment in theBabylon 5universe, The series follows the human military staff and alien diplomats stationed on aspace station,Babylon 5, built in the aftermath of several major inter-species wars as a neutral ground for galactic diplomacy and trade. Major plotlines includedBabylon 5's embroilment in a millennial cyclic conflict between ancient races, inter-race wars and their aftermaths, and intra-race intrigue and upheaval. The human characters, in particular, become pivotal to the resistance against Earth's descent intototalitarianism.
The spin-off seriesCrusade[7] ran onTNT for 13 episodes, having been set up by the TV filmA Call to Arms. The production team received help fromNASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory to ensure that the series depicted space science and futuristic technology accurately, according to current scientific theory.[8] However, creative differences between Straczynski and TNT caused problems; the network wanted more sex and violence,[9] and forced Straczynski to begin the first episode with a fistfight. The sex-and-violence request was later withdrawn, and TNT allocated more money toCrusade, giving the actors better uniforms and new sets mid-season. However, due to further creative differences, TNT eventually decided to cancel the series after 13 episodes had been produced, but before any of them were aired. At the time of the cancellation, only hints of major story arcs had yet come into play, though unproduced scripts were published online by Straczynski.
A new project set inBabylon 5 universe was announced by Straczynski atSan Diego Comic-Con in 2006.[10]Babylon 5: The Lost Tales is a set of mini-stories featuring established characters from the series, released direct-to-DVD. Production of the first anthology of two stories, named collectivelyVoices in the Dark, commenced in November 2006 with Straczynski writing, producing, and directing. It was released July 31, 2007. In aUsenet post on September 5, 2007, Straczynski stated that Warner Bros. "are most pleased as sales have been several orders of magnitude beyond what they anticipated."[11]
On July 13, 2008, Straczynski revealed that he had no plans to continueThe Lost Tales. He said that although the studio was interested in another disc, they wanted to budget the next installment similarly to the first. Citing his disappointment with the first release due to the low budget, Straczynski said he did not want to diluteBabylon 5's legacy with further sub-par stories. He stated that he would only return to theBabylon 5 universe if Warner Bros. wanted to do a large-budgeted cinema release.[12]
A reboot ofBabylon 5 was announced in September 2021. It was to be produced by Straczynski throughStudio JMS, and developed by Warner Bros. Television forThe CW.[13] As of May 2022, despite several changes at The CW due to numerous cancellations of other shows resulting from theWarner Bros. Discovery merger, the project was still in active development.[14][15] However, it was later put on hold amidst the2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[16] Straczynski later stated that Warner Bros. Discovery had taken back the rights back from The CW and was shopping the project to other outlets.[17]
DuringSan Diego Comic-Con in 2014, Straczynski announced that he would soon be sitting down to write aBabylon 5 feature film, which is envisioned as a reboot of the iconic sci-fi series. JMS said that he plans to get the script locked down by the end of 2015 and the film would then enter production in 2016.[18] However, this film has yet to be produced.
In 2004 and early 2005, rumors widely circulated about a plannedBabylon 5 film for theatrical release. However, on February 25, 2005, a post from Straczynski announced that the project had fallen through, and was, for all practical purposes, dead.[19] The proposed film, titledThe 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.[20]
During the "Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski" panel at the 2010New York Comic Con, Straczynski revealed, "I said to Warner Bros. a while back, 'When you’re ready to do something real withBabylon 5, either a big-budget film or a TV show, if you want to do one of those two things, call me; otherwise, don't bother me.' About a month ago the phone rang. I don't know where this is gonna go yet, but when they call you, there's something going on. I can't tell you what it is yet, and it may not go anywhere, but there is movement in the tall grass."[21]
The following table lists allcanonical works in order of their main timeline. Titles that appear more than once contain significant time jumps within the story.
| Year | Work | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2115 | The Birth of the Psi Corps | |||||
| 2189 | ||||||
| 2195 | Bester Ascendant | |||||
| 2243 | In the Beginning* | |||||
| 2244 | ||||||
| 2245 | ||||||
| 2246 | ||||||
| 2247 | ||||||
| 2248 | ||||||
| 2256 | The Shadow Within | |||||
| 2257 | The Gathering | |||||
| 2258 | Season 1 | Bester Ascendant | Casting Shadows | |||
| 2259 | Season 2 | Summoning Light | To Dream in the City of Sorrows | Comics | ||
| 2260 | Season 3 | Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic | Invoking Darkness | |||
| 2261 | Season 4 | Thirdspace | In Valen's Name | |||
| 2262 | Season 5 | The long Night of Centauri Prime | The Shadow of His Thoughts | Genius Loci | Hidden Agendas | The Road Home |
| 2263 | The River of Souls | |||||
| 2264 | ||||||
| 2265 | The Legend of the Rangers | The Nautilus Coil | ||||
| 2266 | A Call to Arms | Armies of Light and Dark | ||||
| 2267 | Crusade | |||||
| 2268 | ||||||
| 2269 | True Seeker | |||||
| 2270 | ||||||
| 2271 | The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark | The Fate of Bester | The Lost Tales mini-comic | |||
| 2272 | ||||||
| 2273 | ||||||
| 2274 | Out of the Darkness | |||||
| 2275 | ||||||
| 2276 | ||||||
| 2277 | ||||||
| 2278 | In the Beginning* | |||||
| 2279 | ||||||
| 2280 | Sleeping in Light (S5E22) | |||||
| 2281 | ||||||
| 2362 | The Deconstruction of Falling Stars (S4E22) | |||||
| 2593 | Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic | |||||
| 2762 | The Deconstruction of Falling Stars (S4E22) | |||||
| 3262 | ||||||
| + 1 Mio. | ||||||
| TV series |
| Films |
| Novels |
| Comic books |
| Short stories |
Unique to theBabylon 5 universe among virtually all othershared universes[citation needed] is the sanctionedcanonicity of many of itsoffshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of theBabylon 5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly byJ. Michael Straczynski. The laterDel Rey books are considered to be more canonical than some of the earlierDell ones,[23] although – per Straczynski's own remarks[24] – 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.
The seventh Dell novel has been described as 90% canonical, and the ninth novel is considered fully canonical by J. Michael Straczynski, with canon elements interspersed throughout the other books.[25]
All are considered canon:[26] written byGregory Keyes.
Hardcover omnibus,The Psi Corps Trilogy. Published January 1, 1999 by the Science Fiction Book Club.(ISBN 9780739406564)
All are considered canon:[26] written byPeter David.
All three books are collected inLegions of Fire. Published 2000 by the Science Fiction Book Club.Out of the Darkness is reportedly based in large part onJ. Michael Straczynski's script notes.[27] (ISBN 9780739414859)
All are considered canon:[26] written byJeanne Cavelos.
In addition, the standalone novelBabylon 5: The Shadow Within serves as a prologue to the trilogy.
Hardcover omnibusThe Passing of the Techno-Mages collects the trilogy. Published 2002 by the Science Fiction Book Club. (ISBN 0-7394-2395-9)
Straczynski penned a number of short stories expanding on several key story-points from the television series, along with a number of other established authors.
The comic books published byDC are also fully endorsed,[28][29] with Straczynski having directly written or contributed to all of the issues written by other authors in one form or another, though issues 9 and 10 contradict other strictly-canonical sources in certain respects.[30][31]
Mongoose Publishing, publisher of theBabylon 5 role-playing game (RPG) material, announced plans to release a line ofBabylon 5 novels and graphic novels, beginning in the summer of 2006. J. Michael Straczynski made it clear that he was not involved with this project, and considered the works to be "fan-fiction."[32]
In 2007, Straczynski was writing the manuscript for aBabylon 5 graphic novel, which was to be published byWildstorm Productions. The premise, characters, and plot have not been officially confirmed, but it has been reported that Straczynski originally planned to write a story that takes place before the Season Three two-parter "War Without End," featuring Sinclair and Sheridan, and involving Mars, Minbar, Babylon 5, and a conspiracy. It has also been reported that he subsequently decided to tie in elements from the spin-offsCrusade andLegend of the Rangers into the book.[33] The graphic novel was to be 100 pages long.
When asked by a fan during the "Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski" panel at the 2010New York Comic Con, Straczynski said no newBabylon 5 comics were in the works.[21]
Comics 1–4 were published in thetrade paperbackBabylon 5 (October 1995, Titan Books,ISBN 1-85286-646-2).
Comics 5–8 were published in the trade paperbackShadows Past and Present (September 1996, Titan Books,ISBN 1-85286-735-3).
Comics 1–4 and 11 were published in the trade paperbackThe Price of Peace (November 1998, DC Comics,ISBN 1-56389-467-X).
The comic was originally serialised in six parts in the UK inBabylon 5: The Official Monthly Magazine #3–8 (November 1997 – May 1998). All three comics were published in the trade paperbackIn Valen's Name (December 1998, Titan Books,ISBN 1-85286-981-X).
A specialashcan-sized comic book was included exclusively withBest Buy–sold DVD copies ofBabylon 5: The Lost Tales, written by series creator J. Michael Straczynski.
In 1998, the series briefly published a cookbook titledDining on Babylon 5. Set during season 3 and ostensibly by the owner of the Fresh Air Restaurant,Emerson Briggs-Wallace, it was actually written by Stephen C. Smith.[34] It was a limited run published only in the United Kingdom but made an appearance in one episode. In "A View from the Gallery", a character is shown reading it; since the book was not yet finished, a mock-up was used with a different cover.[35]
In November 1997, Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment published the originalThe Babylon Project: The Roleplaying Game Based on Babylon 5.[36] In 2003,Mongoose Publishing printed theBabylon 5 Roleplaying Game & Factbook.[37]
TheBabylon 5 Component Game system was also released in 1997 by Component Game Systems. It was a complex political and military-based game, using a number of individually purchased expansions or components, which could take up to five hours to play. Component Game Systems came out with a number of component game systems that used the same semi-collectible approach, and was derived from the unpublished Galactic Empires board game, based on the CCG of the same name—Companion Games (Galactic Empires' publisher) became Component Game Systems in the process. The basic idea is that each player need only buy his part of the game, representing in this case a specific political entity from theBabylon 5 universe. Players sit down at the same table and combine their components to have a game. Component Game Systems folded in 1999 after having released only the first two "years" (2258 and 2259) worth ofBabylon 5-related components for the game.
TheBabylon 5 Warswargame was first published byAgents of Gaming in 1998. The game was developed in close contact with the creators of the show, and most of the published material is considered canon.[38] Agents of Gaming later publishedBabylon 5 Fleet Action, which focused on battles of a larger scale. In 2004,Babylon 5: A Call to Arms was released by Mongoose Publishing after Glass took a job with that company. The game is similar in many ways toBabylon 5 Wars, but some consider it to have more-streamlined rules set, and games may take a less time to complete.
Precedence Entertainment produced theBabylon 5 Collectible Card Game between 1997 and 2000. In its original form, thegame allowed for 2–4 players, with each one playing one of the ambassadors to the B5 council: Sinclair, Delenn, G'Kar, or Londo. Later expansions increased the maximum number of players that could play at once, and expanded the players' options. Players could represent theLeague of Non-Aligned Worlds, or could play alternative ambassadors, such as Bester for thePsi Corps or Lord Refa for the Centauri. The game was discontinued after Precedence lost the license fromWarner Bros. in 2000.
There are no officially-licensedBabylon 5 video games on the market, though in 1998 a video game based onBabylon 5, namedInto the Fire, was being developed by Yosemite Entertainment, an internal division ofSierra Entertainment. 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 when the game was only a few months away from release.[39] This game was to have cast the player as the pilot of a Starfury fighter craft, giving the player an opportunity to "move up through the ranks," and eventually take command of capital ships and even fleets. Christopher Franke composed and recorded new music for the game, andlive action footage was filmed with the primary actors from the series.
A number of unauthorizedBabylon 5modifications have been created for other computer games such asHomeworld andHomeworld 2, as well as at least one (unlicensed) independent project to develop a standalone game. The only finished work as yet though is the free and standalone game "The Babylon Project" based on theFreeSpace 2 Source Code Project.[40] Another unauthorizedmodification is being developed forX3:Terran Conflict by a group of fans working over the internet calledX3: Babylon 5. The game is expected to feature many canon ship and station designs, work from the licensed materials, as well as numerous new art. The developers, including Amras Arfeniel, are still drafting 3D meshes for the game but hoped to begin game trials by Summer 2016. The team is not yet looking for testers but is recruiting 3D artists.[41] Finally, there is a Babylon 5 mod forCivilization IV: Beyond the Sword.
In 2012, an independent group of fans of the Agents of Gaming game started work on a browser-based game. The intention was to get as close as possible to the tabletop strategic game with the added advantage of playing on a worldwide scale. The game, calledFiery Void,[42] is now in closed Beta testing, and is intended to be used without any commercial goals.
Another unofficial game isBabylon 5: I've Found Her, a freeware space combat simulator developed by Space Dream Factory, which—likeInto the Fire—allows players to fly Starfuries.
