![]() Straczynski says that his show was informed by real-world history, primarily World War I and World War II, as well as various religions, cultures, and the conflicts these aspects of human existence caused. This was war after all, and like any good science fiction it reflects a blend of current concerns, history, and mythical tales in the presentation. It failed,” a famous line uttered by Susan Ivanova from the third season intro showing that things were not working out and characters were becoming desperate. “The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. Each season the intro of the show changed, updated to reflect the events of what happened as narration told viewers what to expect, further establishing the lack of a status quo and a darker more threatening tone. In a time of idealistic sci-fi, Babylon 5 took a grittier, more grounded approach than its contemporaries. The music was fantastically out there too with Stuart Copeland of The Police originally starting on the show (only for the original pilot) and Christopher Franke of Tangerine Dream providing the soundtrack for the rest of Babylon 5. We got some wonderful ship designs and backgrounds that, sure, look a little dated today, but they’re also some of the most unique and alien looking vessels in sci-fi (and should definitely have placed on our coolest spaceships in sci-fi list – we demand a rewrite!). Babylon 5 took a risk with these untested techniques and it paid off. It was one of the first television shows to use CGI for its space battles instead of miniatures, while also incorporating virtual sets with its traditional ones, something that would help shape the future of how many shows work now. The creative minds behind the show made magic happen with their smaller budget, especially compared to what their contemporaries were working with at the time. Babylon 5 killed off its gods and won its big wars, only to stumble over the finish line trying to figure out where to go from there. This meant they rushed to produce a somewhat suitable ending, only to then be un-cancelled and deliver a lackluster final season. The show was unsure of renewals, due to being in the red, and it later faced cancellation. Although Straczynsk built in plans to replace actors if needed, it happened more often than anyone was expecting. Fontana (of Star Trek fame) all contributed episodes, while Harlan Ellison acted as a Creative Consultant for the series.īabylon 5 almost didn’t make it to television at all, and when it did the series faced numerous obstacles. Legendary names like Neil Gaiman, Peter David, and D.C. Straczynski was attempting to make a new paradigm for the small screen and when he did need to have other writers involved, they were notable. Even outside of this show, Straczynski is known for his writing in other television, cartoon, and comic series. ![]() Michael Straczynski was behind the creation of Babylon 5 and he wrote 92 of the 110 episodes as well as many other projects for the franchise. This was all done by one screenwriter, something that had never been done before. The innovation of Babylon 5 was that the entire series had been plotted out and was attempted without changing anything that didn’t need to be altered or wouldn’t help improve the show. After a while, the episodes start running together so fluidly that the story blends into a beautiful river instead of multiple stops or resetting to a rocky status quo. In a show where mythological and historical figures show up alongside scenes that discuss Centauri reproductive organs being used to cheat at cards, everything somehow works. Not all of the acting is top-notch, but the screen presence of so many of these powerful personalities is simply alluring. Psi Corp is a great example, especially the diabolical Alfred Bester and the devious devil himself, Mr. On the other side, the enemies aren’t necessarily traditionally evil, but they’re all enthralling. We want to see them all succeed and by the end fans know these characters like their closest friends. ![]() With all these major stakes, it’s impressive that the show still takes the time to focus on characters like Vir and his progress, as Londo proudly watches him attack a merchant’s stand with a sword, or Lennier realizes that he was never going to win that not-so-secret love triangle. Meanwhile, Delenn and Kosh try to parse out information that could save them all. We watch as Sheridan and Ivanova try to hold the station together, while Mr. The main cast are all exemplary and we get to see them evolve and change over time (literally in the case of one character who enters a chrysalis). The characters drive the plots as much as they are affected by them.
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