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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv From: techy@iastate.edu (Babylon 5 Librarian) Newsgroups: alt.tv.babylon-5,rec.arts.sf.tv,rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: Babylon 5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Supersedes: <tv/babylon-5-faq_764517493@rtfm.mit.edu> Followup-To: poster Date: 8 Apr 1994 10:41:26 GMT Organization: Babylon 5 Psi-Council Lines: 852 Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Expires: 13 May 1994 10:41:06 GMT Message-ID: <tv/babylon-5-faq_765801666@rtfm.mit.edu> Reply-To: leew@indirect.com NNTP-Posting-Host: bloom-picayune.mit.edu Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) about the television series, _Babylon 5_. It should be read by anyone who wishes to post to the rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, alt.tv.babylon-5, or rec.arts.sf.tv groups regarding the show. X-Last-Updated: 1994/04/08 Originator: faqserv@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu alt.tv.babylon-5:15971 rec.arts.sf.tv:21748 rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5:1099 alt.answers:2362 rec.answers:4819 news.answers:17824 Archive-name: tv/babylon-5-faq Last-modified: 07 April 1994 Posting-Frequency: Bi-Monthly The BABYLON 5 Frequently Asked Questions List Compiled by Lee Whiteside Copyright 1994 Lee Whiteside The latest version of this file can be retrieved by anonymous ftp at ftp.hyperion.com [192.65.216.1] as /pub/Babylon-5/babylon-5-faq. IMPORTANT: If you are posting to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 or alt.tv.babylon-5 ***** DO NOT POST STORY IDEAS *********** Since the show's creator and Executive Producer is online, and he would withdraw for legal reasons. We don't want that! ------------------------- Contents of this FAQ List ------------------------- 1. What is Babylon 5? 2. Who is behind Babylon 5? 3. What makes JMS think he can do a good science fiction TV show? 4. How much of the series is planned out already? 5. Where can I see Babylon 5? 6. What is Babylon 5 About? 7. Who are the characters in the show? a. The Main Cast for the Series b. Supporting and Recurring Cast 8. What kind of Special Effects does Babylon 5 have? 9. Babylon 5 Episodes 10. How has Babylon 5's development progressed? 11. Who can you write to show support for Babylon 5? 12. Now that Babylon 5 is a series, can I submit a script? 13. Appearances a. Science Fiction Conventions b. Babylon 5 Newsletter c. Publications 14. Some Frequently Asked Questions (and brief answers) 15. Miscellaneous Info a. Merchandising b. Fans' influence on the show c. Awards d. Babylon 5 References in other JMS works e. Miscellaneous Production Info f. Production Order vs. Airing Order g. What happened to the "xxx" episode? 16. Where to find online information a. Internet b. GEnie c. Other This FAQL comes nowhere NEAR covering all the questions asked about Babylon 5. It will mainly focus on informational topics and some background on the show. There are already several other comprehensive lists and files available covering specific areas in depth. Info on where you can find them is contained in topic 16. ----------------------- ~1. What is Babylon 5? ----------------------- Babylon 5 is a new science fiction television series that is part of the Warner Bros. Television Consortium, called the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). It is set on a Space Station in the mid 23rd Century. After the two hour pilot movie, "The Gathering," in February, 1993, the series started the week of January 24, 1994, with a season of 22 episodes. The series is planned for a five year run. ----------------------------- ~2. Who is behind Babylon 5? ----------------------------- The show was created by J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), who is co-executive producer on the show along with Doug Netter. It has been in development since 1987, the last few years with Warner Bros. J. Michael Straczynski has been involved with genre television for many years, as story editor and writer for the Twilight Zone TV series (syndicated version), Captain Power, and the animated The Real Ghostbusters. He has also written for Jake and the Fatman and Murder, She Wrote. JMS has also had many published short stories, an anthology, and two fantasy/horror novels. Until recently, he was co-host of Hour 25, a Los Angeles area science fiction radio talk show. Doug Netter is an equal partner in Babylon 5 and has been in the business for a long time, at one time being the head of MGM where his nickname was Rattlesnake, thus Rattlesnake Productions, his production company. Doug mainly handles the business side and leaves the creative work to Straczynski, which is how they first worked together on Captain Power. Harlan Ellison is the Conceptual Consultant for the series. He has also written a "Manifest" for the show that will explain to other writers how to write science fiction for television and Babylon 5, in particular. Well-known science fiction writers, including Ellison, David Gerrold, and D.C. Fontana, are contributing scripts to the show. Christopher Franke, formerly of Tangerine Dream, does the soundtrack. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ~3. What makes JMS think he can do a good science fiction TV show? ------------------------------------------------------------------- JMS has been on many panels at science fiction conventions dealing with what's wrong with science fiction on television. He has also been active on various computer networks getting feedback from science fiction fans. His main criteria for a good science fiction television series include that it must be good science fiction AND good television (both are rarely combined together in one show); it would be geared towards adults, not kids ("No Cute Kids, No Cute Robots. Ever!"), doing for science fiction what "Hill Street Blues" did for police shows. It would also have to be done on a reasonable budget and it should look like nothing ever seen on TV. And to make it a series, it would not be just individual stories (alien attack/ possession/ misunderstanding of the week), the stories would be part of an overall larger story, but still watchable each week as a separate chapter. JMS is also in tune with the viewing audiences of his show, still maintaining a presence on several computer discussion boards on the topic of the Babylon 5. --------------------------------------------------- ~4. How much of the series is planned out already? --------------------------------------------------- As part of the development of "Babylon 5", a five year arc has been planned as if it were a five year miniseries. Events have been planned for each season, which will tell a larger story over time. There is plenty of room for individual stories within each season and each episode can stand alone. There is also a writer's guide (in-house) as well as much backstory on the Babylon 5 universe. ------------------------------- ~5. Where can I see Babylon 5? ------------------------------- USA: In most areas, Babylon 5 airs WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT 8 PM ET/PT on stations that are part of the Warner Bros. Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN) consortium, generally made up of independent stations. (These stations also air _Time Trax_ and _Kung Fu: The Legend Continues_.) Stations with other affiliations may broadcast the show at other times. Check your local listings, get the document referenced here, or call your local station. ## More info: Retrieve "b5tvlist.txt" (See section 16a) SATELLITE: Babylon 5 is fed on satellite several days before airing dates on Galaxy 4 Channel 21. Audio is 5.8 left, 6.2 right, 6.8 mono. ## More Info: See "SFTV" postings on rec.arts.sf.tv (See section 16a) Fridays, 10-11 AM Eastern Fridays, 2-3 PM Eastern Saturdays, 5-6 AM Eastern (combo feed with Kung Fu following) Sundays, 8-9 AM Eastern " UK: Babylon 5 will air on Channel 4, starting May 16th at 6 p.m. Eleswhere: All following sites should start airing the show around the same time as the U.K. starts. Australia: 7 Network France: Canal Plus Germany: Set Eitz (SAT 1 or Sat Eins?) Philipines: RCTI Trinidad: AUM Europe(?): Sky-TV Other info is just station IDs or areas): Taipei, TV3, TVNZ, TTV, IBC, BEC, Canal Sinco, ICP, Proziba, and Italy. Video: In Europe, Australia, and Japan, the Babylon 5 pilot movie has been released on home video (and on laserdisc in Japan). There are NO immediate plans for a U.S. home video release of the pilot or the series. ----------------------------- ~6. What is Babylon 5 About? ----------------------------- ## More info: Retrieve "b5log.txt" and "b5_jms_answers.txt" (See section 16a) Babylon 5 is set in the years 2257-2262 A.D. on a 5 mile long space station in neutral space. It was constructed by the Earth Alliance to help keep the peace between the EA and four other alien alliances of which Babylon 5 is centrally located between. Each of the alliances has an official representative on the station. These include the Earth Alliance, represented by Commander Jeffrey Sinclair, who is in charge of Babylon 5, whose rank doesn't seem high enough to warrant such a lofty position. The Minbari, represented by Ambassador Delenn. The Minbari waged a war with the Earth Alliance 10 years earlier and mysteriously surrendered on the brink of victory. The Centauri Republic, represented by Londo Mollari. The Centauri Republic was the first to make contact with Earth and helped advance their technology. However, they are really on the decline, much like the decline of the British Empire. The Narn Regime, represented by Ambassador G'Kar. The Narn were previously under the control of The Centauri Republic but rebelled and are now independent and growing in influence. The Vorlons, represented by Ambassador Kosh Naranek. The Vorlons have avoided contact with the other alliances and are a mystery. They have agreed to participate with Babylon 5. Vorlons breath a methane atmosphere and are VERY alien aliens. ---------------------------------------- ~7. Who are the characters in the show? ---------------------------------------- ## More Info: Re: CAST, retrieve "b5actors.txt" Re: CHARACTERS, retrieve "b5log.txt" or "b5_jms_answers.txt" Re: GUEST STARS, appropriate episode guide from /Guide (see section 16a) ======== a. Main Cast COMMANDER JEFFREY SINCLAIR Michael O'Hare The commander of Babylon 5 and representative of the Earth Alliance. LT. COMMANDER SUSAN IVANOVA Claudia Christian Of Russian descent, a commanding presence, and quirky at times, somewhat pessimistic. Second in command and in charge of day-to-day operations on Babylon 5. TALIA WINTERS Andrea Thompson New Babylon 5 telepath, level 5 PSI-corps. SECURITY CHIEF MICHAEL GARIBALDI Jerry Doyle In charge of security on Babylon 5. He has a troubled past but was picked by Sinclair for the job. AMBASSADOR LONDO MOLLARI Peter Jurasik Represents the Centauri, a decadent and fading republic. Appearances aside, Londo is a "romantic" character with disparate official and personal sides. AMBASSADOR DELENN Mira Furlan Represents the Minbari. Delenn is a member of the Minbari Grey Council and why she is on Babylon 5 as an ambassador is one of the many mysteries on the station. AMBASSADOR G'KAR Andreas Katsulas Represents the Narn Regime. G'Kar is a patriot, always looking for ways to turn situations to the Narn's advantage. DR. STEPHEN FRANKLIN Richard Biggs Middle thirties, dedicated and self-assured. His background is mainly in experimental medicine so does not have a good "bedside manner". VORLON AMBASSADOR KOSH NARANEK animatronics Native voice designed by Chris Franke "There's simply nothing that English translation: Ardwight Chamberlain I can say about Kosh just now." -- J. Michael Straczynski ======== b. Supporting And Recurring Characters *** Assistants to the Ambassadors: VIR COTTO Stephen Furst Centauri assistant to Londo. Timid and given no respect by Londo, so far. NA'TOTH Caitlin Brown A female Narn, assistant to G'Kar. She replaces Ko'Dath, who has an accident with an airlock. LENNIER Bill Mumy A monk-like male aide for Delenn, having lived a monastic life, will be a true innocent on B5. *** Other Characters: CATHERINE SAKAI Julia Nickson She works for an Earth company that surveys asteroids and planets for mineral exploitation. Runs the survey ship Skydancer. She is a former flame of Sinclair's and first appears in "The Parliament of Dreams". N'GRATH animatronics An insect-like non-humanoid alien, who can arrange or fix things for a price. DR. MAYA HERNANDEZ Silvana Gallardo A Doctor under Dr. Franklin. First appears in "Believers." ------------------------------------------------------ ~8. What kind of Special Effects does Babylon 5 have? ------------------------------------------------------ ## More Info: Retrieve "b5_jms_answers.txt" or read articles listed in "b5.media" (see section 16a) All space visual effects for Babylon 5 are computer generated. Ron Thornton is utilizing specialized software in conjunction with NewTek's Video Toaster to design and render the visual effects. The only models used on the show will be computer models. Effects for the series are improved over the pilot movie due to technological advances, and it seems to be getting better.... ----------------------- ~9. Babylon 5 Episodes ----------------------- ## More Info: Re: UPCOMING eps, retrieve "b5episodes" Re: PAST episodes, retrieve guides in /Guide directory (see section 16a) PILOT MOVIE 02/22/92 The Gathering (title not shown on-screen) JMS SEASON ONE Airing Order (JMS's blanket season title: "Signs and Portents") Preferred Air Date Air# Prod# Title Writer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01/26/93 1 103 Midnight on the Firing Line JMS 02/02/93 2 102 Soul Hunter JMS 02/09/93 3 104 Born to the Purple Larry DiTillio 02/16/93 4 101 Infection JMS 02/23/93 5 108 The Parliament of Dreams JMS 03/02/93 6 110 Mind War JMS 03/09/94 7 107 The War Prayer D.C. Fontana 03/16/94 8 106 And The Sky Full Of Stars JMS 03/23/94 103R Midnight on the Firing Line 03/30/94 102R Soul Hunter 04/06/94 104R Born to the Purple 04/13/94 101R Infection 04/20/94 9 113 Deathwalker Larry DiTillio 04/27/94 10 105 Believers David Gerrold 05/04/94 11 111 Survivors Mark Scott Zicree 05/11/94 12 116 By Any Means Necessary Kathyrn Drennan 05/18/94 13 114 Signs and Portents JMS 05/25/94 14 117 The Quality of Mercy JMS There will be repeats until October so that new episodes will be available for the November ratings sweeps. This is due to the PTEN scheduling since production on all episodes will be completed soon. 10/12/94 15 109 Grail Christy Marx 10/19/94 16 122 Eyes Larry DiTillio 10/26/94 17 119 TKO Larry DiTillio 11/02/94 18 120 A Voice in the Wilderness Part 1 JMS 11/09/94 19 121 A Voice in the Wilderness Part 2 JMS 11/16/94 20 118 Babylon Squared JMS 11/23/94 21 115 Legacies D.C. Fontana 11/30/94 22 112 Chrysalis JMS ------------------------------------------------ ~10. How has Babylon 5's development progressed? ------------------------------------------------ 1987 Spring/Summer Babylon 5 treatment created by J. Michael Straczynski, also writer's bible. 1998 May Artist Peter Ledger hired to design a Babylon 5 logo, and to do a series of paintings based on the treatment and bible, which were then used for various presentations. 1988 Summer/Fall Babylon 5 pitched to CBS, HBO, ABC, and others. 1989 March Babylon 5 pitched to Chris-Craft Television, a consortium of stations. CCT pledges support of B5, and attempts are made throughout 1988 and 1989 to create co-production deals with foreign investors. 1989 June/July Babylon 5 submitted/pitched to Paramount. 1989 December Babylon 5 receives additional pledge of support from Warner Bros., which begins working with CCT to form fifth network at same time. 1991 November Babylon 5 announced as one of three flagship projects for Warners' Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). The trades carry the story extensively. 1992 June/July Casting for the pilot movie. 1992 August 10 Filming on the pilot movie begins. 1992 Sept. 4 Filming ends on the pilot movie. 1992 Nov. 7 First showing of pilot movie to a convention audience at Wishcon II in Springfield, Mass. 1992 Nov. 28 First announced showing of pilot movie to a convention audience at Loscon 19 in Los Angeles, CA. 1993 Jan. 14 Final edit of pilot movie completed. 1993 Feb. 19/20 Satellite feed of pilot movie to local stations. 1992 Feb. 22 week TV debut of the pilot movie. It achieved a 10.3 GAA national rating, which was better than the two hour\ premieres of "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" (10.2), "The Untouchables" (10.2) and "Time Trax" (8.3). 1993 April Series Pre-production starts. 1993 May 28 Formal announcement by Warner Bros. of a series order. 1993 Mid-July Filming starts on the series. 1993 Late Summer Parts of the first three episodes are previewed at San Diego Comic Con, WorldCon and CopperCon 13. 1993 Mid-Sept. Foundation Imaging awarded Visual Effects Emmy for the Babylon 5 pilot movie at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. 1993 Mid-Oct. First fully completed episode delivered to Warner Bros. 1993 Oct./Nov. PTEN rebroadcast of Babylon 5 pilot movie. 1993 Nov. 26 "Midnight on the Firing Line" screened at LosCon 20. 1994 Mid-Jan. "Making of Babylon 5" airs (hosted by Walter Koenig). 1994 Jan. 20 Satellite feed of first episode. 1994 Jan. 26 Start of weekly series on PTEN. 1994 Mar. 23 Filming ends for first season ----------------------------------------------------- ~11. Who can you write to show support for Babylon 5? ----------------------------------------------------- PTEN is a consortium of stations where each station has a say in what gets produced. JMS has requested that if you would like to write in support of the show, write your local station first ASAP. This could be the difference in being picked up for a second season since the stations are currently choosing what they will commit to. For Warner Bros. write to: For the show's creator, as well as the cast and crew: Dick Robertson epting scripts for the second season and will announce submittal specifics at that time. All free-lance scripts will have the original writer as the sole credit. Any rewrites or additions (such as a "B" plot or additional scenes) by Babylon 5 staff will not add to the writing credit. This will allow the free-lancer to get full royalties for the episode. ---------------- ~13. Appearances ---------------- ======== a. Science Fiction Conventions ## More Info: Con information is often posted on the USENET groups such as alt.fandom.cons, rec.arts.sf.announce, rec.arts.sf.fandom. J. Michael Straczynski has been attending science fiction conventions when possible. Past convention appearances have been Loscon 19, and 20; Gallifrey One in 3D, Gallifrey One Goes Forth, A Fifth of Gallifrey One, WesterColt .45; the San Diego Comic Con; WishCon II; Con-Dor; Baycon, Phil and Ed's Excellent Convention. Upcoming con appearances planned by J. Michael Straczynski include: I-CON 13 (April 15-17, 1994) on the campus of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, 50 miles east of NYC on Long Island. Harlan Ellison will be Guest of Honor. JMS and Michael O'Hare are scheduled. For more info on I-Con call (516) 632-6045 or write to: I-Con, PO Box 550, Stony Brook, NY 11790-0550. Chicago Comic Convention (July 1-3, 1994) San Diego Comic Con (August, 1994) Also, Arne Starr, Artist on the DC Comics Star Trek series has been making Babylon 5 presentations at cons he has appeared at. Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz (B5 visual effects) has been making some convention appearances. ======== b. The Official Babylon 5 Newsletter A Babylon 5 newsletter is being produced with the cooperation of J. Michael Straczynski by Christy Marx. The first issue was made available for free and copies are still available. To receive the additional issues, send a $5 check or money order to Christy Marx, Editor - BABYLON 5 NEWSLETTER, P.O. Box 2325, Oakhurst, CA 93644. (In Canada $7 and $9 elsewhere). If you want to just get issues 4-6, which will deal with the series, send $3.00 ($5.00 Canada) If you send in for all issues, you get issues 1-3 right away (although #2 is available only as a copy) and the rest as they are issued. Issue #4 is in process and should be appearing sometime in the April/May time frame. ======== c. Publications ## More Info: Information about B5 has been found in the press and other media. Retrieve "b5.media" (see sect 16a) for more info. The April 1994 issue of _CineFantastique_ has a major feature article on Babylon 5. Half of the issues have a Babylon 5 cover, while half have "The Stand" on the cover. Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz, who works with Ron Thornton on the visual effects, will have an article in _Toaster User_ in the Spring of '94. Call AVID publications at 800-322-2843 from the USA. ---------------------- ~14. Some Frequently Asked Questions (with brief answers) ---------------------- ## More Info: For more detailed explanations, see the various archives at the ftp site or retrieve b5_jms_answers.txt (See section 16a) Following are some of the questions asked a lot by newcomers to Babylon 5 and brief answers to those questions. Misc: Q: How come [insert name] is in the opening credits but not in the show? A: Characters that appear in 7 or more episodes are in the opening credits. Q: Which came first, DS9 or B5? A: B5 was pitched to Paramount in 1989, two years before DS9 was created. Q: Will B5 be renewed a second season? A: Write your LOCAL station and encourage them to do so. Decision in May. Q: They're using paper in the 23rd century? A: Paper is convenient. It's a recycleable, synthetic material. Q: Why is Sinclair, only a commander, running the station? A: The minbari rejected all choices, down the line, and accepted Sinclair. Q: What does the "Third Age" of mankind mean? What are the 1st and 2nd? A: Joe ain't telling. Q: What has happened with Harlan Ellison's scripts this season? A: They've been delayed due to poor health and earthquake injuries. Q: How is the "sound in space" issue dealt with? A: You hear music in the space shots, some sounds are part of the music. Aliens: Q: What's with the Centauri Hair? A: Hair is a measure of status, More elaborate = higher status. Q: What is that thing on Minbari heads? A: It's a bone, which grows with age and differs among individuals. Q: Is Bill Mumy (Lennier) the same guy from _Lost In Space_? A: Yes. Only much older. Q: How did the war between Earth and the Minbari start? A: A misunderstanding on first contact. Q: What was it that the Minbari found with Sinclair which stopped the war? A: Still quite a mystery; many more clues will be given in 1st season. Q: What is known about Vorlons? A: Very little. Reclusive, and may be hiding something under those suits. Q: Why are we always seeing aliens speaking English to each other? A: As in WWII movies, we assume they are speaking in their native tongue. Technology: Q: How do jump gates work? A: Small ships enter one and exit another. Large ships can make their own. Q: What's the size and capacity of the station? A: 5 miles long, holding as many as 250,000 (many in transit). Q: How do PPGs (Phased Plasma Guns) work? A: A superheated burst of plasma, burning through the air. Q: How does communication with Earth work? A: Tachyons, giving instantaneous communications; problematic in jump gates. Q: Where in the galaxy is the station? A: Approximately 25 light years from earth, at an as-yet-undiscovered star. ----------------------- ~15. Miscellaneous Info ----------------------- ======== a. Merchandising ## More Info: Retrieve "b5_jms_answers.txt" (see Section 16a) Babylon 5 products will be arriving, but not for a while, to prevent the problem of "the tail wagging the dog." Licensing Company of America, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. is handling the licensing of Babylon 5 products. Creation Conventions has licensed some products already, like T-shirts, hats, etc. Electronic Arts has licensed the rights to a computer game based on Babylon 5. A Comic adaptation should happen, most likely with DC comics. Nothing has been announced yet, though. Novelization (perhaps one per season tying together main story arc ideas), soundtracks, video releases (in widescreen on LaserDisc), and technical manuals are all being explored or developed although nothing has yet been announced. Creation Entertainment has t-shirts and photos available (818) 409-0960 An interactive CD-ROM has been announced for release in third quarter, 1994. Chris Franke is planning on a soundtrack CD for release later this year. ======== b. Fans' influence on the show The location of Babylon 5 is at Grid Epsilon 470,18,22 which corresponds to the original location of the Babylon 5 topic on GEnie (Page 470, CAT 18, Topic 22). The first mention of a planet's coordinates in "Mind War" were Grid Epsilon 471,18,25 which corresponds to a topic in the Babylon 5 Category on GEnie. Partially due to fan response from those who saw the pilot movie or clips, some things in the pilot movie were changed before broadcast: The voice of Delenn is Mira Furlan's voice without any processing and Delenn is female to begin with. Original plans were to electronically process her voice and have Delenn change sex during the series. Some additional voice-over was done by Patricia Tallman to clarify one scene in the show with Kosh in the Medlab. The branding of a Minbari that had similarities to a DS9 episode was kept after feedback from fans about it. It had been considered removing the branding scene and electronically wiping the brand from the rest of the episode. (This occurs in "The War Prayer"). When names submitted for a mega corporation and a mineral were rejected for legal reasons, JMS went to the GEnie B5 Category and asked for suggestions. The resulting names used are Quantium-40 for the mineral and Universal Terraform for the company. Q-40 is mentioned in both "The Parliament of Dreams" and "Mind War" and Universal Terraform in "Mind War". The waiter mentioned in "Parliament" is named for David Strauss, who submitted Q-40. The denizens of "Downbelow" are called "lurkers," a term for those on the newsgroups who read messages but never post. JMS is considering revamping or killing off n'grath based partly on the reaction by viewers. Based on interest in the legal aspects of the Psi Corps, he will indicate how some of this works in "The Quality of Mercy." A ship in "A Voice in the Wilderness" will be named "Hyperion" in acknowledgment of the Babylon 5 ftp site at ftp.hyperion.com. ======== c. Awards Emmy Award in 1993 for Special Visual Effects for the Babylon 5 Pilot movie. March, 1994 - Space Frontier Foundation award for "Best Vision of the Future" ======== d. Babylon 5 References in other JMS works In the Captain Power episode "Final Stand," Tank mentions that he's from the Babylon 5 Genetic Engineering Colony. In the JMS Novel "Othersyde," Babylon 5 is mentioned as one of the characters favorite TV series. ======== e. Miscellaneous Production Info Babylon 5 is being filmed in the 16:9 aspect ratio, trimming it for broadcast. Plans are for the episodes to later be available in widescreen on laserdisc and when HDTV happens. The opening titles are in letterbox format. Audio is being done in full Surround Sound. Larry DiTillio is writing background dialogue (known as "walla"). Alien makeup and such for the series is being done by Optic Nerve Studios (Everett Burrell and John Vulich) which is a change from the pilot. The early episodes had some video and audio degradation due to the manner in which commercials, closed captioning and such were being added using analog transfers and used tape. Some was corrected by the broadcast of "The War Prayer" with more improvements in time. ======== f. Production Order vs. Airing Order The production of episodes started far enough in advance that the airing order of the episodes could be arranged as the producers and network decided, allowing for additional post-production time and cost reduction. For example, the season finale was filmed 12th but will air last. ======== g. What happened to the "xxx" episode? With the amount of info from JMS on the show, some episodes have been retitled or shelved/postponed. Following is a list of titles mentioned by JMS and what happened to them: Title Changes: "Blood and Thunder" --> "Midnight on the Firing Line" "A Knife in the Shadows" --> "Survivors" "Amaranth" --> "Born to the Purple" "Backlash" --> "By Any Means Necessary" "Raiding Party" --> "Signs and Portents" "The Ressurectionist" --> "The Quality of Mercy" Scripts Not Produced or Postponed: "Target Unknown" and "Metaphors and Body Counts" - David Gerrold scripts not used in Season 1 "Midnight in the Sunken Cathedral" and "Demon on the Run" - Harlan Ellison scripts not completed due to health problems and the L.A. Earthquake. May be used in the second season. ------------------------------------- ~16. Where to find online information ------------------------------------- ======== a. INTERNET USENET rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 This group was created in late March and is now the main Babylon 5 newsgroup. Since it is a new group not all sites will have it right away. JMS's mail gateway will be changed to this group. IMPORTANT: Do *NOT* post any story ideas (legal reasons) alt.tv.babylon-5 This group was created the week of Feb. 15, 1993. JMS frequents this topic via a mail feed to GEnie. IMPORTANT: Do *NOT* post any story ideas (legal reasons) You can post to the group, if you don't have access, by emailing to alt-tv-babylon-5@vtserf.cc.vt.edu. rec.video.satellite may contain satellite feed discussion. WORLD WIDE WEB go to URL: "http://www.hyperion.com/b5page.html" NOTE: This page contains LOTS of images! MAILING LIST The Babylon 5 Reviews Electronic Forum An e-mail review forum, moderated by Michael S. Shappe. To subscribe, send e-mail to the automated list server, LISTSERV@cornell.edu. Put a single line into the BODY of the message, reading: SUBSCRIBE B5-REVIEW-L Firstname Lastname This is processed by machine, so do not include a signature. FTP SITE ftp.hyperion.com (192.65.216.1) is the official site from which you can retrieve Babylon-5-related files via anonymous FTP. For now, it is preferred to use its faster echo side, ftp.uml.edu. HIGHLIGHTS OF FILES AVAILABLE AT FTP.HYPERION.COM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- File Description Maint ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pictures (dir) GIF AND JPEG IMAGES (see "Index" file within) Along with a number of TV image scans, this directory holds a number of official high-quality GIF files (mainly of ships, from the pilot and the first episodes). Commencing with the start of the series, Babylon 5 Electronic Trading Cards GIF files are being released, with close to 100 planned for the first season. Guide (dir) EPISODE GUIDES AT Information about each episode Synopses (dir) EPISODE SYNOPSES Detailed synopses of each episode SB Bibliographies REFERENCES (dir) References to newspaper/magazine articles about cast/crew TR GEnie (dir) GENIE POSTINGS OF JMS Archive of JMS's postings on GEnie on the B5 topics Usenet (dir) USENET POSTINGS OF JMS Archive of JMS's postings in the alt.tv.babylon-5 group ELECTRONIC PRESS KITS Interactive "multimedia" presentations introducing the series b5demo.zip for Windows 3.1 (PKZIP compressed; retrieve BINARY) B5-Interactive.cpt.hqx for Macintosh (Binhexed and stuffed; retrieve ASCII) babylon5faq FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) LIST LW Answers to frequently asked questions. VERY useful intro- duction to Babylon 5, with pointers to additional info. b5tvlist.txt BABYLON 5 / PTEN STATION LIST A list of stations known to show Babylon 5, w/ schedules LW b5actors.txt ACTORS' OTHER ROLES LIST Listing of film, TV, stage roles of actors from Babylon 5 LW b5.tech TECHNICAL FAQ LIST Technical descriptions of various things in B5's universe. H b5log.text BABYLON 5 GRID EPSILON LOG Detailed information, backstory and character profiles PP compiled from postings by JMS on GEnie before the pilot aired. Not yet updated for the series; it contains a few obsolete references (eg, replaced characters, a male Delenn). Updated 12 Jan 1992. b5episodes UPCOMING EPISODES Contains spoilers: general descriptions of upcoming DS episodes, as gleaned from JMS postings J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI'S ANSWERS b5_jms_answers.txt An indexed & sorted file (over 200K of text) of DW comments by JMS on Babylon 5 & related topics - VERY good collection of B5 info. Updated 26 Jan 1994. HISTORY OF ANCIENT BABYLONIA SB History.Babylonia A brief history of ancient Babylonia. Babylon 5's Parallels.History broad storyline is based at least in part on real events of ancient Earth history. Possible parallels between our history and the upcoming story arc are explored. MAINTAINERS/CONTRIBUTORS ------------------------ LW = Lee Whiteside, leew@indirect.com PP = Phil Posner (B5REVISE.TXT on GEnie) DS = David Strauss, dss2k@virginia.edu, REPLAYER on GEnie DW = Dan Wood, danwood@netcom.com H = The Harlequin, mdig8154@uriacc.uri.edu SB = Shawn Bayern, bayern@cshl.org AT = Anthony Taylor, FNATT@elmer.alaska.edu TR = Troy Rutter, techy@iastate.edu ======== b. GEnie Because JMS has been on GEnie talking about Babylon 5 since late 1991, GEnie is a choice place to be for a Babylon 5 fan. On the GEnie Science Fiction RoundTable, there are two Babylon 5 categories where JMS talks with the fans about the show, both production and story info. Most of the information in this FAQ came from this category. They are located at Page 471, Category 18 and 19. Archives of past messages are available in the GEnie SFRT files areas, along with graphics files and the interactive demos are also available in the file area. In honor of the fans who are involved with this group, the specific location of Babylon 5 corresponds to the original location of the GEnie topic (Grid Epsilon 470,18,22). A split of the GEnie SFRT in November, 1992 created the Babylon 5 category, moving the original topic into the new category. ======== c. Other JMS also frequents Compuserve and BIX; there are Babylon 5 sections on America Online and other networks; These and other networks and BBSs contain Babylon graphic files, text files, and forwarded JMS postings. ***************************************************************************** The Babylon 5 Frequently Asked Questions List Some of the information contained in this FAQL is based on posts by J. Michael Straczynski in the Babylon 5 category in the GEnie Science Fiction Roundtable (Page 471; Cat 18) and the USENET group alt.tv.babylon-5. Compiled by Lee Whiteside L.WHITESIDE (GEnie) 76044,502 (Compuserve) leew@indirect.com (USENET) P14942@email.mot.com (INTERNET for e-mail) Sysop of the Magrathea BBS (602)833-9216 Humble assistance provided by Dan Wood (danwood@netcom.com) HTML formatting by Steven Grimm (koreth@hyperion.com) Auto-posting by Troy Rutter (techy@iastate.edu) --- -Troy Rutter, Project Vincent, Iowa State University PSI-Corps Council of Elders Babylon 5 Librarian