Babylon 5

Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The music for the TV series and related TV movies was composed by Christopher Franke. The pilot movie, The Gathering, aired on February 22, 1993, and the regular series initially aired from January 26, 1994 through November 25, 1998, first in syndication on the short-lived Prime Time Entertainment Network, then on cable network TNT. Because the show was aired every week in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 without a break, the last four or five episodes of the early seasons were shown in the UK before the US.

Spin-offs

Crusade

The spin-off series Crusade (Lurkers' Guide entry) ran on TNT for thirteen episodes, having been set up by the TV-movie A Call to Arms. The production team received help from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to make sure that the series depicted science and technology accurately (JPL press release). But creative differences between Straczynski and TNT caused problems; the network wanted more sex and violence (AICN) and forced Straczynski to begin the first episode with a fistfight. The sex-and-violence request was later withdrawn and TNT in fact allocated more money to Crusade, giving the actors better uniforms and new sets mid-season, but due to the creative differences TNT eventually decided to cancel the series after thirteen episodes had been produced, but before any of them were aired. At the time of the cancellation, no major story arcs had yet come into play.

Related Topics:
Crusade - TNT - NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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Legend of the Rangers

A made-for-TV movie titled To Live and Die in Starlight was produced by the Sci Fi Channel. It was the proposed pilot episode of a new series titled '. Rescheduled after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the movie aired on January 19, 2002. However, it was scheduled against an NFL AFC Divisional Championship playoff game featuring the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. The pilot's poor ratings killed the network's interest in a series. Straczynski posted the following to Usenet on January 27, 2002:

Related Topics:
To Live and Die in Starlight - Sci Fi Channel - September 11, 2001 attacks - January 19 - 2002 - NFL - AFC - New England Patriots - Oakland Raiders - Usenet - January 27

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The east coast ratings got hammered by the football game, which was the highest rated such game in something like 5 years. The B5 male demos are pretty much the same as for sports, and we lost heavily to football. So there we did not do well. By contrast, on the west coast, where the show aired *after* the game had finished, we not only met but *exceeded* SFC's expectations, getting a 3.2 or 3.6 in many markets, which is actually pretty unheard of for a basic cable network. The problem is that the average, 1.7, is still what's used for advertising.

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The Memory of Shadows

In 2004 and early 2005, rumors widely circulated about a planned 'Babylon 5' movie for theatrical release. However, on February 25th, a post from Straczynski announced that the project had fallen through and was for all practical purposes dead. The proposed movie, titled The 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.

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Several sources have claimed that factions within Warner Brothers wanted to recast established Babylon 5 roles with younger and more well-known actors, causing a major controversy among fans of Babylon 5. Straczynski acknowledged the subject, has stated that the negotiations were problematic, but has said that he is unable to directly comment on the issue.

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According to statements and clues made by Straczynski in a convention appearance in New Jersey, and statements on a Usenet newsgroup, it is known that the planned storyline connected to that of the short-lived Crusade television series. In this movie the technology of the ancient Shadow race is being unleashed on the galaxy by an unknown force. EarthForce intelligence officer Diane Baker, whose brother was recently killed in a mysterious explosion, intends to find out who is behind the conspiracy. Joining her is Galen, a technomage who has been charged with keeping the technology out of the hands of those who would abuse it.

Related Topics:
EarthForce - Technomage

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