Babylon 5

Guide Note

The science fiction television show Babylon 5 focused on the fifth Babylon space station, a space hub where humans and many different alien races traveled through, lived, traded, and negotiated. It had an extremely complex plot with extended story arcs that focused on the political and social developments in galactic history in the 23rd century.

Fast Facts

1. Created and produced by J. Michael Straczynski
2. Network: PTEN, TNT and the Sci-Fi Channel
3. First Aired: February 22, 1993
4. Number of Episodes: 110
5. Number of Films: 6
6. Starring: Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Richard Biggs, Patricia Tallman, Bill Mumy, Mira Furlan
7. Spin-Off Series: Crusade

J. Michael Straczynski first chose to set Babylon 5 on a space station for budgetary reasons. A spaceship that explores the universe must build new sets each week for the alien societies it visits; the space station would allow the show to stick mostly with standing sets, which streamlined production and kept location scouting to a minimum. Disappointed with the nature of shows such as Star Trek, which rely on self-contained episodes so viewers can jump in at any time, Straczynski sketched out an epic continuing plot with universe-changing events that would run through the series and give it a clear end point.

Babylon 5's producers knew science fiction fans were the core of their fan base, and cast several actors who had previously achieved fame in other science fiction or fantasy shows. In addition, several actors have gone on to appear in other genre shows. Notable other shows starring Babylon 5 actors include:

1. Mira Furlan (Lost)
2. Andreas Katsulas (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
3. Bill Mumy (Lost In Space)
4. Walter Koenig (Star Trek)
5. Tracy Scoggins (Highlander (TV Series), Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)