Babylon 5 - General - Facepunch Forum

Well, I don't know if there is already a thread for this awesome show, but I decided I'd post one since my dad produced it and I've been recently rewatching it. [url]http://babylon5.warnerbros.com/[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5[/url] [img]http://www.addic7ed.com/images/showimages/babylon5_portada.JPG[/img] Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262. With its prominent use of planned story arcs, the series was often described as a "novel for television". Having worked on a number of television science fiction shows which had regularly gone over budget, creator J. Michael Straczynski concluded that a lack of long-term planning was to blame, and set about looking at ways in which a series could be done responsibly. Taking note of the lessons of mainstream television, which brought stories to a centralised location such as a hospital, police station, or law office, he decided that instead of "[going] in search of new worlds, building them anew each week," a fixed space station setting would keep costs at a reasonable level. A fan of sagas such as the Foundation series, Childhood's End, The Lord of the Rings, and Dune, Straczynski wondered why no one had done a television series with the same epic sweep, and concurrently with the first idea started developing the concept for a vastly-ambitious epic covering massive battles and other universe-changing events. Realizing that both the fixed-locale series and the epic could be done in a single series, he began to sketch the initial outline of what would become Babylon 5. Once I had the locale, I began to populate it with characters, and sketch out directions that might be interesting. I dragged out my notes on religion, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, science (the ones that didn't make my head explode), and started stitching together a crazy quilt pattern that eventually formed a picture. Once I had that picture in my head, once I knew what the major theme was, the rest fell into place. All at once, I saw the full five year story in a flash, and I frantically began scribbling down notes. —J. Michael Straczynski, 1995 Straczynski set five goals for Babylon 5. He said that the show "would have to be good science fiction" as well as good television ("rarely are [science fiction] shows both good [science fiction] and good TV; there're [sic] generally one or the other" [emphasis in original]); it would have to do for science fiction television what Hill Street Blues had done for police dramas, by taking an adult approach to the subject; it would have to be reasonably budgeted, and "it would have to look unlike anything ever seen before on TV, presenting individual stories against a much broader canvas." He further stressed that his approach was "to take [science fiction] seriously, to build characters for grown-ups, to incorporate real science but keep the characters at the center of the story." Some of the staples of television science fiction were also out of the question (the show would have "no kids or cute robots"). The idea was not to present a perfect utopian future, but one with greed and homelessness; one where characters grow, develop, live, and die; one where not everything was the same at the end of the day's events. Citing Mark Twain as an influence, Straczynski said he wanted the show to be a mirror to the real world and to covertly teach. I'll write more on this thread in a while.

Your dad is J. Michael Straczynski?

One of my favorite scifi shows. And yeah, quite sure there was already a thread.

This is awesome, Recently re-watched all 5 seasons and movies. Season 3's intro is the best, I must say. Also season 5 was the worst season.

[QUOTE=wingless;25885347]This is awesome, Recently re-watched all 5 seasons and movies. Season 3's intro is the best, I must say. Also season 5 was the worst season.[/QUOTE] Funnily enough, Season 4 is the last season my dad produced :v: [editline]5th November 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=Snowden42;25885299]Your dad is J. Michael Straczynski?[/QUOTE] Wikipedia was wrong. Maybe I should have written my own description. Anyways, my dad produced seasons 2 3 and 4, I think.

Prove he's your dad, Get him a picture of him holding a facepunch logo or something.

[QUOTE=wingless;25885721]Prove he's your dad, Get him a picture of him holding a facepunch logo or something.[/QUOTE] If this is the guy I'm thinking about, he already did.

Man I have been meaning to watch this for awhile

Also, Londo and G'Kar are probably one of the best TV duos ever. And as far as Season 5 is concerned, once you get past the truly horrible telepath situation... it's actually quite an excellent season and the finale made me shed manly tears.

I really tried getting into this show but I never could.

[QUOTE=wingless;25885347]This is awesome, Recently re-watched all 5 seasons and movies. Season 3's intro is the best, I must say. Also season 5 was the worst season.[/QUOTE] think of season 5 as a bonus season, since the show was supposed to be cancelled after season 4 but TNT picked it up at the last minute. season 5 was still awesome, though

[quote]he decided that instead of "[going] in search of new worlds, building them anew each week," a fixed space station setting would keep costs at a reasonable level[/quote] Funny, could have sworn that idea was already used somewhere around the same time.. I can't really think of it off the top of my head but I know there was a show that revolved around a fixed space station. Oh yeah: [img]http://www.startrekorigins.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/deep_space_9.jpg[/img] Deep Space Nine (1993) Babylon 5 (1994)

babylon 5 was planned long before DS9, It took 2 years to get the show on the air, So it dates before ds9. And besides DS9 sucked.

What is this 1995? that debate ended a long time ago, they are both critically acclaimed shows.

[QUOTE=wingless;25885721]Prove he's your dad, Get him a picture of him holding a facepunch logo or something.[/QUOTE] How about no. His name is George Johnsen. Take me at my word or not, I don't care.

Babylon 5, along with Battlestar Galactica, are my two favorite sci-fi shows. The Shadows were the best sci-fi enemies ever. [i]"What do you want"[/i]

[QUOTE=GodKing;25904653]Funny, could have sworn that idea was already used somewhere around the same time.. I can't really think of it off the top of my head but I know there was a show that revolved around a fixed space station. Oh yeah: [img_thumb]http://www.startrekorigins.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/deep_space_9.jpg[/img_thumb] Deep Space Nine (1993) Babylon 5 (1994)[/QUOTE] Wrong. Pilot > You. The Dominion War was also a direct response to Babylon kicking the shit out of DS9 in the Nielsens, and that's per Rick Berman. and BoT: [quote]These? These are my three wives, Pestilence Famine and [U][B]Death[/B][/U][/quote] [quote] Because I have asked you; because your sense of duty to our people should override any personal ambition; and because I have poisoned your drink.[/quote] [quote]VIR! What IS it, you moon-faced assassin of joy...[/quote] [Quote]"And Vir!" "Yes, sir?" "Don't give away the homeworld."[/Quote] [Quote]But this…this, this, this is like… being [I]nibbled[/I] to death by, uh…Pah! What are those Earth creatures called? Feathers, long bill, webbed feet…go "quack". Cats. Cats! I'm being nibbled to death by [I]cats[/I].[/Quote]