Babylon 5 Introduction

s Babylon 5 Introduction

"It was the dawn of the third age of mankind…"

One of the most innovative science fiction series ever made, ‘Babylon 5’ is a novel for television - a five-year-long story arc completely planned out right from the start by its creator, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS for short!), as a single, continuous story, with a beginning, middle, and end.

It is the middle of the 23rd century. Mankind has reached the stars and made contact with many alien civilisations. One such race, the Centauri, has traded information with Earth, sharing technological advances such as ‘jumpgates’ - portals into hyperspace - enabling the human race to expand outwards at a rapid pace; it now enjoys the status of a major galactic power.

Mankind subsequently made contact with a mysterious race called the Minbari, but a misunderstanding between both races resulted in a terrible war; humanity's forces were no match for the technologically superior Minbari, and they were forced to retreat to Earth. Then, inexplicably, as their ships closed in and destroyed Earth's last line of defence, the Minbari halted their advance and surrendered…

In the aftermath of the war, the Babylon Project was conceived. A space station located in neutral ground, it would be a meeting place where the galaxy’s superpowers could meet and work out their differences peacefully. However, the first three Babylon stations were sabotaged and destroyed in mid-construction; the fourth was completed, but just as it was about to go online, it mysteriously vanished. Earth’s government would have abandoned the project, but some of the alien governments offered financial assistance for the construction of a fifth Babylon station; however there were certain conditions attached: the Minbari insisted that Jeffrey Sinclair, a survivor of the war, be appointed as station Commander of Babylon 5.

Station personnel working alongside Commander Sinclair are second-in-command Susan Ivanova, security chief Michael Garibaldi, and Doctor Stephen Franklin. Also stationed on B5 are ambassadors from many races, including Delenn of the Minbari; G'Kar of the Narn; Londo Mollari of the Centauri; and Kosh, one of the enigmatic Vorlons.

Events in the series begin slowly, as we are introduced to the characters and concepts of the show. However, no one on Babylon 5 is exactly what they seem, and it isn’t long before hidden agendas are revealed, an ancient and terrifying enemy begins to awaken and cataclysmic events start to take shape…

’Babylon 5’ is one of those rare series where you never know what is going to happen next; just when you think you have an idea where the storyline is going, something comes out of the blue that takes you completely by surprise. The characters are exceptionally well defined, the plot tightly written, and even the most innocuous event or comment can have a huge impact on later episodes. The viewer is treated to a breathtaking rollercoaster ride of surprises, shocks, emotions and trauma. To say any more would run the risk of spoiling things for those people who have yet to see it - and if you are one of those people, you really are missing out, and I can’t recommend watching the show highly enough!

As well as five seasons of episodes, ‘Babylon 5’ gave rise to six feature-length television-movies, one of which lead into a spin-off series, 'Crusade', which sadly did not have time to develop properly as it was cancelled after just one season. There is also a range of novels and comicbooks, all of which are approved by JMS and therefore viewed as canonical. Plans for a new 'Babylon 5' TV movie, 'The Memory of Shadows', were shelved indefinitely, but in July 2007, a new, made-for-DVD movie, 'Babylon 5: The Lost Tales', written and directed by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, was released straight to DVD.

In August 2023, ‘Babylon 5’ returned in the form of an aminated movie from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, called ‘Babylon 5: The Road Home’. Largely set in the same continuity of the TV and movie series, it follows the commander of Babylon 5, John Sheridan (once again played by Bruce Boxleitner), as he is thrust into alternate timelines and realities, and attempts to find his way back to his own existence, reuniting with familiar characters and discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe. Those original ‘B5’ cast members still with us returned their roles, with new actors reprising the roles of those sadly no longer with us. This may well lead into further adventures, now set in an alternate ‘Babylon 5’ timeline...

Babylon 5 - Pilot
Babylon 5 - Season 1
Babylon 5 - Season 2
Babylon 5 - Season 3
Babylon 5 - Season 4
Babylon 5 - Season 5
Babylon 5 - Movies
Babylon 5 - Novels
Babylon 5 - Short Stories
Babylon 5 - Comics

Crusade - Episode Guide

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Legal Bit: 'Bablylon 5' is a registered trademark of the PTN Consortium. The 'Babylon 5' logo and all images from the television series are copyright the PTN Consortium unless otherwise stated; music is copyright the original composers and producers; no copyright infringement is intended. All specially created images and text are copyright © Clive Banks; please do not use these without my permission. All rights reserved. No profit is made from this website, and any revenue made from using the banner-links featured goes straight back into the costs of maintaining it, which comes out of my own pocket in the first place. No profit advertising is accepted. This website was created purely to entertain and amuse, and any references to persons living, dead, comatose, in suspended animation, not born yet, or a figment of someone's imagination is purely coincidental. All opinions expressed are my own, so there...

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