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Babylon 5

A space station as neutral ground for galactic diplomacy and trade.

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Babylon 5

Arthur Jonauskas · CC BY-SA 4.0

The show was conceived as a "novel for television" with a pre-planned five-year story arc, a format unusual for American broadcast television at the time.[1] J. Michael Straczynski, who both wrote and produced the show, created the American space opera television series Babylon 5, which was produced under the Babylonian Productions label in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros.[2]

Making and release

The series was shot in 16:9 format in anticipation of HDTV, cropped to 4:3 for initial broadcasts.[3] It was one of the first television shows to use computer technology for visual effects instead of models and miniatures, primarily due to budgetary concerns.[3] Ann Bruice Aling was the costume designer, using natural materials like ostrich leather for Narn body armor and layering fabrics from different eras.[4][5] The producers used a group of up to 12 actors in various mid-level speaking roles, unofficially known as the "Babylon 5 Alien Rep Group," to handle prosthetic-heavy alien characters.[6]

Warner Bros. ordered the series for its Prime Time Entertainment Network in May 1993, following the February 22, 1993 broadcast of the test pilot movie "Babylon 5: The Gathering."[2] The series debuted on January 26, 1994, in the United States and continued for five seasons, each consisting of 22 episodes.[2] Of the 110 total episodes, Straczynski authored 92, which included every episode of the third and fourth seasons (44 episodes total), a record unmatched in American television history.[7] For seasons four and five, the effects work was taken over by Netter Digital, a new in-house team established after co-executive producer Douglas Netter and producer John Copeland proposed producing the effects internally.[8]

What the cited sources add

Straczynski proved the syndication fear incorrect by calling stations, who said they always air episodes in order to track residuals.[9] He stated that every year the show showed a profit, but he has never made a dime of profit from Babylon 5.[9] Straczynski described building "trap doors" for every character in case an actor departed unexpectedly, a device used for Claudia Christian and Andrea Thompson.[10][11] The solution came when TNT commissioned two television films, allowing material to be moved out of season four.[12]

Costume supervisor Kim Holly appeared onscreen in season four's "Atonement," stabbing an actor with a needle as a reference to difficult previous uniforms.[13][14]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straczynski, "JMSNews You say, "New characters and sets...", jmsnews.com, January 22, 1993; Britt, "The Most Important Sci-Fi Show of the '90s Hits Amazon Prime in June", Inverse, 2018-05-17; Shankel, "Everything You Need To Know About Babylon 5", io9, January 18, 2012; Straczynski, "JMSNews Re: ATTN: JMS Books and TV Plot", jmsnews.com, April 26, 1996 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lieberman, "PRIME TIME ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK ANNOUNCES EXPANSION PLANS AND PROGRAMMING SLATE FOR JANUARY 1994 - Free Online Library", May 27, 1993 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straczynski, "We are shooting in 16:9", Midnight Design Productions, LLC, September 22, 1993; Encarnacion, "JMS Revisits BABYLON 5 On Show's 25th Anniversary", Newsarama, April 8, 2019; Variety Staff, "TV f/x take cue from movies", Variety, 18 January 1993; "Babylon 5 Behind the Scenes: The Effects", The Lurker's Guide To Babylon 5, August 12, 1997; Straczynski, "Re: Physics of Babylon 5", JMSNews, September 10, 1993 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Designing Tomorrow: The Look of Babylon 5", Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bruice Aling, "Behind the Scenes Interview with Ann Bruice Aling and John Iacovelli", The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, October 15, 1995; Bruice Aling, "Online Chat Transcripts: Ann Bruice Aling and Kim Holly", Official B5 Fan Club, May 21, 1998; Holly, "Interview with Kim Holly, Babylon Podcast #45", The Babylon Podcast, December 13, 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straczynski, "JMSNews JMS: Utility Actor????", jmsnews.com, November 16, 1994 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Writers/Directors list (JMS entry)", Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5; Straczynski, "Re: ATTN: JMS I heard that with you writing the entire season, you will be the 1st in tv history?", JMSNews, April 22, 1996 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straczynski, "Babylon Podcast #161: Interview with JMS, Part 1", Babylon Podcast, June 16, 2009; Straczynski, "Re: ATTN JMS: Foundation Imaging Collapse - Sinking into the sand?", JMSNews, September 11, 1996; Nazzarro, "Optic Nerve Co-Founder John Vulich Dead at 55", Make-Up Artist Magazine, October 17, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Encarnacion, "JMS Revisits BABYLON 5 On Show's 25th Anniversary", Newsarama, April 8, 2019. facts only, no text reused. newsarama.com
  10. Shankel, "The Strange, Secret Evolution of Babylon 5", io9, February 21, 2013. facts only, no text reused. io9.gizmodo.com
  11. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straczynski, "Re: ATTN: JMS Changes in the Story due to Actors", JMSNews, April 24, 1996 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straczynski, "Year 4/5", JMSNews, December 18, 1996 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Holly, "Interview with Kim Holly, Babylon Podcast #45", The Babylon Podcast, December 13, 2006. facts only, no text reused. babylonpodcast.com
  14. Wikipedia, "Babylon 5" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Holly, "Interview with Kim Holly, Babylon Podcast #45", The Babylon Podcast, December 13, 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Babylon 5 (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

Babylon 5: The Road Home

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1. Who created "Babylon 5"?

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Not quite. The answer is J. Michael Straczynski.

2. In what year did "Babylon 5" first air?

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Not quite. The answer is 1993.

3. In what year did "Babylon 5" premiere?

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Not quite. The answer is 1994.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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