Babylon 5 - more story beyond the TV episodes
Michelle Osmond, December 2000, updated March 2001
(If you haven't watched the series yet, go away and see it first! It's well worth it. You might want to wander over to the Lurker's Guide for their episode guides while you're still watching.)
So you've finished the whole 5 year TV series, and still want more?
What follows is a summary of the things that are really worth hunting out, to learn more of the story. There's more available (B5 cookery book, Security Manual etc) but these are more for interest's sake, and I won't bother listing them (go to the Lurker's Guide if you need to know).
First, a couple of quick definitions:
jms : J Michael Straczynski, the creator & writer of the vast majority of B5.
arc : B5 was unusual when it started for having an ongoing storyline, often called an 'arc', which resulted in changing situations and character development in the B5 universe, rather than having a 'reset button' pressed at the end of each episode. "High arc" episodes are therefore those which contain significant plot revelations or developments. There are also several non-TV items (like books) that have been announced to be part of the arc by jms.
canon : "official part of the arc"
TV
There are several B5 "TV movies", which you've probably heard of/seen in the library. These are:
- "In the Beginning" - the 'real' story of the Earth-Minbari war. A must-see!
- "Thirdspace" - this takes place after the Shadow war, during season 4. It's jms's go at a 'Lovecraftian' horror story. Low on 'arc', but high on atmosphere.
- "River of Souls" - Soul Hunters come to B5. Some arc, not a lot.
- "A Call to Arms" - Stars the B5 cast, but is also intended to lead into the spinoff series "Crusade" (see below). Much arc - another must-see.
- "The Gathering" - ok, so this was actually the series' pilot. There are two versions of this - the original (1993) and a 'special edition' (1998). The new version has been reworked by jms (with his now extensive experience of putting an episode together for the best effect, it is apparently much improved) and also has new music by Christopher Franke (the guy who did the music for the whole of the 5 years apart from the original pilot)
"Crusade" is the spinoff series to Babylon 5. It was intended to be a new 5-year series set in the B5 universe. It follows on from "A Call to Arms", with a new crew, ship and a resident technomage.
Sadly, it only managed 13 episodes before being cancelled - mainly due to disagreements between jms and the network (their repeated requested 'adjustments' to the storyline went too far - continually wanting to dumb down the stories and add more fistfights). It was also crippled by the order of the episodes being shuffled around mid-filming - with the result that the flow of the series doesn't come across quite right. Basically, the episodes that were intended to be the first five were aired last (doh!). These five were the ones filmed with minimal interference from the network, and it shows. The Lurker's Guide has an 'optimum' viewing order.
The 13 episodes still showed great promise, and it's a real shame the series was cancelled. Well worth watching nevertheless.
(See Scripts below!)
New series in production! - this will be about the Rangers, and the pilot will probably be set in about 2265.
Graphic Novels
There have been a few B5 comics, most with stories outlined or written by jms (ie they're canon). Unfortunately, in most the artwork leaves something to be desired.
Graphic Novel: "Babylon 5"
Containing the issues: "In Darkness Find Me", "Treason", "In Harm's Way", "The Price of Peace".
Tells the story of what happened to Sinclair at the end of the first series, when he was recalled to Earth and then sent on to Minbar to serve as ambassador.
Graphic Novel: "Shadows Past & Present"
Containing the issues: "With Friends like These", "Against the Odds", "Survival the Hard Way", "Silent Enemies".
Sinclair & Garibaldi's first meeting, shadow ship on Mars, dodgy dealings by the Psi Corps. Good fun.
Graphic Novel: "In Valen's Name", first printed in the Babylon 5 Magazine, was another arc-heavy series.
Babylon 4 reappears (again) and we hear a bit more about Valen, and what happened in the war 1000 years ago.
"The Psi Corps and You!" is a rather strange Psi Corps propaganda issue. It was reprinted in the Babylon 5 Magazine just before "In Valen's Name" - I don't know if it's included in the graphic novel.
Another two issues are "Duet for Human and Narn in C Sharp" and "Coda for Human and Narn in B Flat", but these aren't available in graphic novel form so far. They contain a short story by David Gerrold concerning G'Kar, Sheridan, Garibaldi, and an assassination attempt - no particularly significant arc.
Scripts
Believe it or not, there are actually some Crusade scripts out there, that never got filmed. They were available to read for free on www.bookface.com, but sadly that site has shut down. However, do not despair (if you're an icsf member)... you may want to investigate the graphic novels section in the icsf library ;)
If you've watched the series, read these scripts. Do not even consider not reading them. They are truly astounding (even in script form, without the pretty pictures to back them up) and really add depth to the series and give an idea of where it was headed.
You see, the real arc would have been kicked off in the very next episode that would have been made: "To the Ends of the Earth" by jms.
"Value Judgements" by Fiona Avery (aka B5 continuity editor) is a 'normal' episode, that would have aired in the second half of the first season, starring Bester.
"End of the Line" by jms is the final episode of the first season. Unsurprisingly, this one is arc heavy and full of surprises.
If after reading all that, you want more revelations, here's a snippet from an interview with jms that gives a few more clues (no doubt more will emerge as time goes on)
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Warning: Spoilers for the Crusade scripts! Highlight the black box below to read the text. |
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"End of the Line" is one of two scripts that act as bookends. That one was the season finale, and the other one ("To the Ends of the Earth") would upped the ante midway through the season. We discover that there's a much broader problem even than the plague - it had to do with Earth using Shadow technology in ways they shouldn't be doing, and who was responsible for the destruction of captain Gideon's ship. Suffice it to say that - through a series of incidents - the Excalibur crew would have been considered traitors and have to basically be on the run. Further, the cure that Earth would have believed to be the right one would not in fact work as they think it would have worked. Our guys would find out about this, and no one would have believed them. As things unravel, it's a larger conspiracy, so basically - after the second year - the show you think Crusade is would be a whole different show, with much more depth to it, more political, more controversial in some ways, and would deal with the impact of technology on society, would cast our characters as renegades and loners without port, and turn the whole series upside-down. The whole plague thing was really just a way to get the thing going and give them something to do in the beginning while we establish the characters before we pull the plug and change the whole nature of the show into something I think would probably have been revolutionary - but we never got that far. You can see the hints of it in those two scripts that are up on bookface.com. |
Some B5 scripts have also been published in book form, with comments from the authors and un-aired scenes. Neither are essential reading (after all, we've already seen the episodes!), but are still interesting.
The Coming of Shadows by jms
Day of the Dead by Neil Gaiman
Short Stories
There have been several B5 short stories in Amazing Stories magazine, by jms and Fiona Avery:
- #602 - Vol. 72, #2 - Summer 2000 "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic" - Marcus & Ivanova
- #599 - Vol. 71, #4 - Winter 2000 "Genius Loci" - GKar and Lyta's travels
- #597 - Vol 71, #2 - Summer 1999 "The Shadow of his Thoughts"
Books
The B5 books are a mixed bunch. The first few (books 1-9) were of variable quality, and are not all 'canon'.
However, the following two are definitely worth reading - both are canon, and jms had considerable input in their storylines.
- No. 7, "The Shadow Within" by Jeanne Cavelos.
The story of the Icarus: the ship that visited the Shadow homeworld, with Morden and Anna Sheridan on board. - No. 9, "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" by Kathryn Drennan (jms's wife).
Marvellous for dipping in and out of events in the TV series, filling in gaps and tying up loose ends. I think jms's comments can sum this one up:
Frankly, if anyone asks from now on, "What happened to Sinclair after leaving B5?" I can point to this book and say, honestly, "It's all in there."
I'm telling you...it ties in the comics, the first year, the following year, the development of the Rangers, what happened to Marcus and his brother, what happened to Catherine Sakai, we learn a lot more about Valen...it's going to be pretty cool.
The more recent B5 books have been in the form of trilogies, written from fairly lengthy outlines by jms, and so far they've been very good (and definitely canon). These have been used to elaborate on interesting parts of the story - both backstory, and future plot developments. A rich source of new arc!
- Psi Corps Trilogy by J Gregory Keyes -
Tells the story of everyone's favourite Psi Cop, from before his birth to his death. This is a good read, with some important new plot points relevant to the series, but is mostly 'background' - albeit extremely interesting background ;) Each book covers a different time period, and is self-contained.
1. Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps
2. Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant
3. Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester - Centauri Prime Trilogy by Peter David -
The story of Londo, Vir, and Centauri Prime, from the time Londo gets his little Drakh friend (you know what I mean if you've seen the episode), to his often-foretold death at the hands of G'Kar - and it reveals what happens to David and his birthday present from Londo. This is solid arc, and well worth reading to see what happens during and after Season 5 of B5! Many loose ends from the series are tied up - such as why Centauri Prime was burning 20 years in the future. Some of it runs concurrently with Crusade as well - Galen shows up, and technomages are fairly prominent throughout. A fascinating read - try to read all three straight after each other for best effect - they work better as one big book than separate stories.
1. Legions of Fire: The Long Night of Centauri Prime
2. Legions of Fire: Armies of Light and Dark
3. Legions of Fire: Out of the Darkness 
Technomages Trilogy by Jeanne Cavelos -
This includes much material that would originally have been used in Crusade (where the technomages would have played a significant part had the series continued). I will update this with a summary when all the books are out - not reading them till I've got the whole set ;)
1. The Passing of the Techno-Mages: Casting Shadows
2. and 3. Not yet published.
We have many Babylon 5 items in the icsf library, please see the database for a list.
Images are © their respective publishers
Internet Resources
The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 - undoubtedly the biggest, best place for B5 information, that's been around longer than you want to know. (Trivia: it was originally hosted at www.hyperion.com, and this is where the Earthforce ship Hyperion got its name.)
Comprehensive lists of all B5 episodes, items, and resources.
Outstanding episode guides, gathering together all jms's comments on each particular episode, summarising important plot developments and pointing out things you may have missed.
Also has details of jms's current projects.
www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html
The Official B5 fan club is dead, but the site's still there and gets updated occasionally with latest B5-related news.
www.thestation.com
Bookface - free books/scripts to read online
www.bookface.com