Babylon 5 Concept Cast And Primary Characters Regular Cast

The series won several awards [1], including two Hugos for Best Dramatic Presentation. One of the Hugo awards is used as a prop in the final episode, marking the first time that a Hugo has been shown on-screen in a series which won a Hugo.

1 Concept

The series, often held as a good example of space opera, consists of a five year story arc taking place over five seasons of 22 episodes each. The hub of the story is a large space station named Babylon 5; the five mile long, 2.5 million tonFor ton as a unit of volume see Ton (volume There are three similar units of mass called the ton or tonne tonne ( SI) or metric ton 1000 kg (2204 lb). The official symbol is t but mT and T are also used. short ton (or simply ton in casual use in the USA) rotating colony is built to be a gathering place for fostering peace through diplomacyThis page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). United Nations, with its headquarters in New York City, is the largest international diplomatic organization. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between a, trade and cooperation. In the words of its commander, it is humanity's "last, best hope for peace." However, Babylon 5 is the center of political intrigue and conflict, and eventually becomes a pawn in a massive interstellar conflict from which it emerges with a Pyrrhic victoryA Pyrrhic victory is a victory which is only achieved with heavy losses, often to the point of offsetting potential benefit to such that the overall situation becomes worse for the Pyrrhic victor than it was before battle commenced. Usually the phrase ref over forces of darkness and chaos.

Having long been a science fiction fan himself, Straczynski was determined to produce a science fiction series for adults where, for once, things would be done properly: consistent technology, "no kids or cute robots", no new "particle of the week" to tie up a plot. It was not a utopian future - there is greed and homelessness. It was not a place where everything was the same at the end of the day - main characters grow, develop, live and die. An unabashedly political show, it was always ready to deal with politics, sex, religion, and philosophy.

Unlike most television shows, this series was conceived as a novelA novel is a long or extended work of fiction written in prose, usually in the form of a story. It is longer and more complex than a short story or novella (ie. 40,000+ words), and it is not bound by the restrictions of plays and poetry. The word "novel", with a defined beginning, middle, and end. In addition, even tie in novels, comic books, and short stories play a significant part of the overall story.

The overall story of the show was plotted out in some detail before the first episode was ever shot. Having a (loosely) predetermined plot was advantageous in many respects, as longer-term planning greatly reduced the working budget required on sets and costumes. The planned plot arc, allowing largely fixed sets and economies of scale, favorably compared with more episodic series which might require an entirely new set of props or costumes for each episode.

Though conceived as a whole, and with Straczynski writing most of the episodes (including all of the episodes of the third and fourth seasons, a feat never before accomplished in American television), it was necessary to adjust the plotline to accommodate external influences. The replacement of actorAn actor is a person who acts, or plays a role in an artistic production. The term commonly refers to someone working in movies, television, live theatre, or radio, and can occasionally denote a street entertainer. Besides playing dramatic roles, actors m Michael O'HareJeffrey Sinclair in Babylon 5 Michael O'Hare (born 6 May 1952 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, best known as Jeffrey Sinclair on the science fiction television series Babylon 5''. O'Hare appeared in a number of theatrical productions in the New as the station commander after the first season, the unexpected departure of actress Claudia ChristianSusan Ivanova in Babylon 5 Claudia Ann Christian (born 10 August 1965) is an American actress, writer, singer, musician, and director. She is most famous for her role as Commander Susan Ivanova on the science fiction television series Babylon 5''. Before, and the necessity to compress the fourth season story arc due to fears of cancellation proved to be major challenges.

"Babylon 5" is often cited as setting the bar for Science Fiction television, utilizing an arc-driven storytelling style now prevelant throughout not only sci-fi, but main stream dramas as well. J. Michael Straczynski anticipated the rise of digital television, shooting the series in 1.78:1 format rather than the normal 1.33:1 - a full six years before "ER" and many other dramas began doing the same thing. "Babylon 5" also revolutionized the use of computer technology in creating visual effects at a time when using models and miniatures was the norm.

2 Cast and primary characters

See also: List of people involved with Babylon 5The following is a list of people involved in a significant way with the science-fiction television series Babylon 5''. It includes significant production crew, all writers and directors, and all regular, recurring, or pilot episode cast. Michael Straczyn

2.1 Regular cast

Jeffrey Sinclair ( Michael O'Hare, season 1)
John Sheridan ( Bruce Boxleitner, seasons 2–5)
Susan Ivanova ( Claudia Christian, seasons 1–4)
Michael Garibaldi ( Jerry Doyle)
Delenn ( Mira Furlan)
Londo Mollari ( Peter Jurasik)
G'Kar ( Andreas Katsulas)
Dr. Stephen Franklin ( Richard Biggs)
Vir Cotto ( Stephen Furst)
Lennier ( Bill Mumy)
Na'Toth ( Caitlin Brown, season 1; Mary Kay Adams , season 2)
Warren Keffer ( Robert Rusler , season 2)
Elizabeth Lochley ( Tracy Scoggins, season 5)
Zack Allan ( Jeff Conaway, seasons 3–5)
Lyta Alexander ( Patricia Tallman, seasons 4–5)
Talia Winters ( Andrea Thompson , seasons 1–2)
Marcus Cole ( Jason Carter, seasons 3–4)

2.2 Recurring guest characters

Alfred Bester ( Walter Koenig)
Morden ( Ed Wasser)
David Corwin ( Joshua Cox )
Lord Refa ( William Forward )
Lorien ( Wayne Alexander )
Neroon ( John Vickery )
Ta'Lon ( Marshall Teague )
Emperor Cartagia ( Wortham Krimmer)
Kosh (voiced by Ardwight Chamberlain)
Zathras ( Tim Choate )

2.3 Babylon stations

Babylon 5 is the fifth, and last, of the Babylon stations. Its predecessors Babylon, Babylon 2, and Babylon 3 were all sabotaged and destroyed before their completion. Babylon 4 was completed and went operational, but twenty-four hours later it disappeared without any trace.

3 Civilizations

thumb G'Kar (left) of the Narn Regime and Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic

One of the show's many themes is the cultural and social interaction between civilizations: the station is after all a diplomatic meeting-place. The show is as much political thriller as science fiction.

There are five dominant civilizations represented on Babylon 5, and a more than a dozen less-powerful ones.

Note: the interactions between civilizations causes profound alterations through the course of the show.

3.1 Earth Alliance

The Earth Alliance was founded at the end of the twenty-first century after the Third World War, first as a loose coalition of nations, then as a tight alliance of nearly every nation on Earth as well as Alliance controlled colonies throughout the Galaxy, though colonial populations have had a history of independence driven rebellion, especially Mars. The Alliance is a unicamaral representative democracy under the leadership of an elected President with a strong military.

Since the end of the Earth-Minbari war, the Alliance had prospered in interstellar trade, though some influential factions had become increasingly xenophobic and isolationist. Following the assassination of President Luis Santiago and the rise to power of President Morgan Clark, the new President formed Nightwatch (a pervasive secret police) and disolved the Senate, turning Earth and her colonies into a totalitarian fascist state. Adding to the milieu is the Psi Corps, an increasingly powerful quasimilitary organization which regulates and controls human telepaths. These actions led to the Earth Civil War, itself an offshoot of the final Shadow War, with the forces originating from Babylon 5 seeking to free Earth and liberate the colonies.

3.2 Minbari Federation

Already advanced when humanity was young, the Minbari Federation is a caste society, its people divided into the worker, warrior, and religious castes. The Minbari are led by the Grey Council, which contains nine representatives, three from each of the three castes. This arrangement was founded by Valen, the legendary prophet from ancient Minbari history, who helped drive the Shadows back one thousand years ago. Minbari are humanoid, usually thin and pale, though considerably stronger than humans of the same size; they are bald, with gray bony crests across the back of their heads. The first encounter between Minbari and Humans was a disaster - a misunderstanding led to Earth ships firing on Minbari ships, killing their leader Dukhat. The result, the Earth-Minbari War, was a bloody one-sided war that nearly led to the annihilation of the human race. The Babylon Project was created in the aftermath of that war to stop such misunderstandings from happening again.

3.3 Centauri Republic

The Centauri Republic was once a mighty empire which has grown decadent and is in a slow decline. The Centauri, a humanoid race similar in appearence to humans, are a proud and aristocratic people governed by an emperor and a nobility driven senate called the Centarum. Centauri males wear their hair in fanlike crests the height of which is determined by the male's rank in society; females are traditionally bald.

After humans began colonizing space, the Centauri were the first alien race they encountered, though humanity had been observed and visited by some races for millenia. The Centauri sensed opportunity to be exploited, and initially tried to convince the humans that they were a long lost colony of the Centauri. This ruse failed, but Centauri-Human trade and contact led to tremendous technological advancement and humanity's eventual rise as a major power.

3.4 Narn Regime

Another "young race" like humanity, the Narn Regime were previously occupied and enslaved by the Centauri, and bear them deep ill-will because of the brutal methods of control employed. Narns are widely perceived to be primitive and barbaric, a stereotype the Centauri engendered during their occupation. This perception continues due to Narn fears about Centauri aggression, and increasing calls for retribution against their former masters.

The Narn are led by the Kha'Ri council. Their religion venerates philosopher prophets, and most Narn draw strength from various different holy writings. Narns are tall and have a stocky build; they are bald, with a yellowish complexion, mottled with brown and/or green spots. Although they look lizard-like, they are in fact marsupial in nature.

3.5 Vorlon Empire

The Vorlons are an ancient and technologically advanced race, thought to be one of the last of the First Ones, though their true nature remains a mystery to most of the younger races. Little is known of Vorlon history, except that they have played significant roles in defeating the Shadows in the previous great wars over the past million years. For thousands of years Vorlons have been observing and manipulating younger races. Little is known about their appearence - when interacting with other races they wear complicated encounter suits which seem to preserve their natural atmosphere.

3.6 Shadows

"The Shadows" (a name given to them by the younger races, as their true name - at ten thousand letters - is unpronouncable) are the most ancient of the surviving First Ones, the second to gain sentience in the Galaxy. For more than a million years, the Shadows warred with the remaining First Ones, and suffered their greatest defeat ten thousand years ago. One thousand years ago the Shadows returned, and were barely defeated by the Vorlons and the younger races, led by the Minbari with the help of Valen. They dispersed throughout the galaxy, waiting for an opportunity to come back into power. The Shadows' overriding philosophy is chaos. They believe in the survival of the fittest, in that only through chaos and war do "stronger" civilizations reach their maximum potential; this belief stands in high contrast to the Vorlon's belief in slow but guided progress - though both races use external manipulation to achieve their goals. Their adopted homeworld is Z'ha'dum. Their physical appearence is vaguely insectoid, though this may be an encounter suit. Additionally, their advanced understanding of the nature of matter allow them to "phase," making them visible only to obscure bandwidths of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The Shadows are believed to be the first to discover and manipulate Hyperspace. Their technology, like the Vorlons, is organic, and they use sentient beings as CPUs for their ships - resultantly, telepaths can interfere with or destroy their technology. True to their "Shadow" name, they utilize associate races and slaves, known as Thralls, to guide races to chaos and war, without being seen themselves.

3.7 First Ones

The First Ones are the oldest races in the galaxy, the first to gain sentience. Most went "beyond the rim" to the darkness between galaxies over the last million years. The rest, with the exception of the Shadows and Vorlons, were gone after the last great Shadow War of ten thousand years ago, though some races still are rumored to appear now and then.

3.8 Minor Races

There are many races which play small but important roles in the events of the times, notably the Drazi , Brakiri , Markab, and Pak'ma'ra.

Numerous races are mentioned in the show which do not have a dramatic impact on the story lines. Among the races are the Llort , Gaim, Vree, Vinzini , Lorkanns , and Strieb .

3.9 League of Non-Aligned Worlds

The League of Non-Aligned Worlds was originally created soon after the Narn liberation as a way to defend member worlds from the unpredictable Centauri. Their charter took on new meaning, however, with the rise of a race called the Dilgar, who were commiting mass acts of genocide accross space. Nearly defeated, the Earth Aliance came to the aid of the League and drove the Dilgar into submission, which resulted in Earth taking a much larger role in inter-stellar diplomacy. After the Earth-Minbari War and the comencement of the Babylon Project, the League consisted of the previous worlds underneath a governing council, the Babylon 5 Advisory Council, consisting of the major worlds of Earth, Minbar, Narn, Centauri Prime, and the Vorlon Empire .

The League consists of such minor powers as the Gaim, Brakiri , Pak'ma'ra, Markab, Drazi , Hyach , Llort , and Vree. Each Advisory Council race has one vote, with the lesser races as a whole having just one vote.

3.10 Interstellar Alliance

Formed in the aftermath of the last Shadow War, the Interstellar Alliance was formed between the Minbari, Narn, Centauri, League of Non-Aligned Worlds, and after the end of the Earth Civil War - the Earth Alliance. The purpose of the Interstellar Alliance was to create peace and prosperity among its member worlds, provided that its members agreed to, and complied with, a code of conduct. It is headed by a president, elected from the IA Advisory Council (which during its inception included the Minbari, Narn, and Centauri). In a twist of fate, after agreeing to conditions which would protect his crew following the Civil War, John Sheridan was elected to, and accepted, the position of President of the Interstellar Alliance, which he would hold for nearly 20 years. The Rangers became the primary peacekeeping force for the IA. The significance of the Alliance and the Rangers would last for centuries.

3.11 Rangers

The Anla'Shok, translated as " Rangers," are a class of religious warrior, an elite fighting force that specializes in stealth and reconnaissance, created one thousand years ago by the Minbari leader Valen for the specific purpose of monitoring and providing a dedicated fighting force for the prophesied Shadow War to come. After the Earth-Minbari War, Humans joined the ranks of the Rangers. They posess an impressive armada, known as the White Star Fleet. Following the end of the final Shadow War, the Rangers became peacekeepers for the newly formed Interstellar Alliance. As a condition for their peacekeeper status, Interstellar Alliance members of any race may become Rangers, though their ranks remain mostly filled by Humans and Minbari.

4 Themes

Through its ongoing story arc, Babylon 5 found ways to portray themes relevant to modern social issues.

4.1 Authoritarianism vs. anarchy; Light vs. Dark vs. Gray

The central theme in Babylon 5 is the conflict between order and chaos, and the people caught between.

The Vorlons and the Earth Alliance Government both represent oppressive, authoritarian philosophies: you will do what we tell you to, because we tell you to do it. Who are you? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for a greater cause, or are you merely serving your own petty interests?

The Shadows represent chaos. Their belief is that by creating conflict, a stronger generation is born. Pure "survival of the fittest". To accomplish this, the Shadows encourage conflict between other groups, who choose to serve their own glory or profit. What do you want? Money, territory, fame, power?

The Rangers, composed mainly of Minbari and Humans with a scattering of other races, represent a third way; their unwavering commitment to compassion and self-sacrifice, epitomised by the character of Marcus Cole, opposes both the emotionless war of the Vorlons and the chaotic brutality of the Shadows.

Ultimately, the main characters strike a balance: sometimes selfish, sometime self sacrificing, making many mistakes along the way. Sometimes they impress us, and sometimes they horrify us. Do you have anything worth living for? Do you love? Do you have a true calling?

4.2 Bigotry and forgiveness

Babylon 5 can be divided into several major armed conflicts:

The war between the Humans and the Minbari, which takes place before the series starts.
The second war between the Narn and Centauri, which takes place during the series. (The first occurred long before the series.)
The eons-old conflict between the Vorlons and the Shadows.
The civil war between the Minbari religious caste and warrior caste.
The civil war between President Clark's corrupt Earthgov and the Babylon 5-led resistance.
The war between the new Interstellar Alliance and the Centauri republic.
The coming conflict between telepathic Humans and mundane s (non-telepathic Humans), the major part of which takes place shortly after the series.

The naive viewer might see Babylon 5 as a television show about space ships blowing each other up. In fact, most of the above conflicts end when the side with superior firepower gives in to the side with the superior understanding. Every conflict has a forgotten "third side," people squished beneath the feet of the powerful. Usually a single individual willing to sacrifice himself is more powerful than the greatest army, while an individual willing to sacrifice everyone else to serve his own objectives can turn worlds into ashes, yet still be defeated.

After all is done, we find members of the opposing sides working together to forge a new future. (Examples: the Rangers, Delenn and Neroon, Delenn and Sheridan, Londo and G'Kar, Garibaldi and Lochley.)

Ultimately, every violent conflict is born out of self interest, perpetuated by prejudice and ideology, and resolved by the realization that each side needs the other to survive. Hatred is associated with stupidity, forgiveness is associated with pragmatism, and wisdom follows conflict.

4.3 Love and true seekers

Unrequited love may be the source of all pain in Babylon 5. Ivanova loses everyone she loves. Lennier is the ultimate victim of unrequited love, but also of his own foolishness. Sheridan and Delenn know true love; Sheridan comes back from the dead for love. Marcus says, "Sometimes love is funny, sometimes very sad." Garibaldi has trouble figuring it out. Vir knows what true love is from the beginning; his problem is getting to "number six."

But there are a few who have forsaken physical desire for a greater calling: finding the holy grail, all the names of God, or fulfilling a thousand year old prophecy.

The only alternative to having love or a true calling is to be insane, addicted to some petty need, a tool for some other power, or to be adrift among the stars. Although it must be said: most everyone in love or walking a true path is insane.

Straczynski's recurring message is to always accept passion when it calls.

4.4 Addiction

Addiction plays a recurring role in the saga of Babylon 5. Power as an addiction, work as an addiction, violence as an addiction and hatred as an addiction all play out repeatedly. Several major characters have a history of substance abuse: Garibaldi is a recovering alcoholic; Londo Mollari is a heavy drinker; Dr. Franklin is addicted to "stims"; and Lochley went though a period of hard drug abuse in her younger years. Abuse of "dust", a telepathic drug, also plays a recurring role in the story.

Obsession as a related theme occurs numerous times too. Sheridan is willing to break all rules to learn the fate of his wife after discovering the connection between her and Morden. The Narn and Centauri hate each other to the point of obsession and addiction.

5 The episodes

Main article: List of Babylon 5 episodes

"The Gathering," the pilot movie

Each season shared its name with an episode which was central to that season's plot.

Season One: "Signs and Portents"
Season Two: "The Coming of Shadows"
Season Three: "Point of No Return"
Season Four: "No Surrender, No Retreat"
Season Five: "Wheel of Fire"

5.1 Other made-for-TV movies

In the Beginning
Thirdspace
The River of Souls
A Call to Arms

6 Spin-off series

6.1 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. No major story arcs had yet come into play.

6.2 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 Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers. 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. JMS posted the following to USENET on January 27, 2002:

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.

7 Novels and novelizations

The Babylon 5 novels and novelizations are based on summaries written by the producer of the series J. Michael Straczynski. The three trilogies are considered by fans to be the greatest of the lot.

7.1 Novels

Babylon 5: Voices (1995) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Accusations (1995) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Blood Oath (1995) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Clark's Law (1996) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name (1996) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Betrayals (1996) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: The Shadow Within (1997) BooksEnthsiast.com (2002 edition: BooksEnthsiast.com)
Babylon 5: Personal Agendas (1997) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: To Dream in the City of Sorrows (1997) BooksEnthsiast.com (2003 edition: BooksEnthsiast.com)

7.1.1 The Psi Corps Trilogy

Babylon 5: Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps (1998) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant (1999) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester (1999) BooksEnthsiast.com

7.1.2 The Centauri Trilogy

Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - The Long Night of Centauri Prime (1999) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - Armies of Light and Dark (2000) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - Out of the Darkness (2000) BooksEnthsiast.com

7.1.3 The Technomage Trilogy

Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Casting Shadows (2001) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Summoning Light (2001) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Invoking Darkness (2001) BooksEnthsiast.com

7.2 Novelizations

Babylon 5: In the Beginning (1998) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: Thirdspace (1998) BooksEnthsiast.com
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (1999) BooksEnthsiast.com

8 DVDs

The Babylon 5 series has been released in DVD form. Included are all episodes, selected director and cast commentary, previews of episodes, and a multimedia database of Babylon 5 related information. All five seasons and five of the six movies are currently available for purchase.

9 Video games

In 1998 a video game based on Babylon 5, named "Into the Fire," was being created by Sierra. This game was to have cast the player as the pilot of a Starfury fighter craft through many missions of a dynamic storyline, while also giving the player an opportunity to "move up through the ranks" and eventually have command of capital ships and even fleets. It was to feature large battles and realistic physics. Multiplayer competitive and cooperative modes would have allowed players to pilot ships of alien races. Christopher Franke composed and recorded new music for the game, and live action footage was filmed with the primary actors from the series.

Work on this game ended, however, when on September 21, 1999, as part of a corporate reorganization, Sierra canceled it and laid off its development staff.

The web site FirstOnes.com followed the game's development and demise, and continues to track Babylon 5 mods for other games. They also have created the first of several planned standalone games, titled "Babylon 5: I've Found Her". This one, a completely free download, is set five years before the series, and can be downloaded at their website.

10 Current projects

A recent post by Straczynski to Usenet indicated the continuing evolution of a project called The Memory of Shadows. In typically cryptic fashion, Straczynski has not yet provided any details about the project, but included a reference to ratio of 2.35:1. This is the format typically used for recent feature films. The sudden death of Richard Biggs in May 2004 delayed the project because of the emotional impact on everybody involved, and because the script had to be re-written.

Straczynski has also announced that more Babylon 5 books are on the way.

11 Similarities to Deep Space Nine

The Babylon 5 television series bore a number of close resemblances to the series . See: .

12 Related articles

13 External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about .

The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5: the definitive fan-run reference and episode guide
Voltayre's Encyclopedia Xenobiologica: Detailed B5 Encyclopedia
The Un-Oficial Babylon 5 Timeline
Collection of JMS's USENET postings
Babylon 5 at the Internet Movie Database

Babylon 5

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