lurkers-guide/ftp/babylon-5-faq

Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.info,rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated,rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5,alt.tv.babylon-5,aus.sf.babylon5,rec.arts.sf.tv,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers
From: Babylon 5 FAQ <no_hormel_products@anywhere.com>
Subject: Babylon 5 FAQ (A): Information about Babylon 5
Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu
Organization: Minbari Grey Council
Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Reply-To: (see signature)
Summary: The final version of the Frequently Asked Questions list
         for the television series, _Babylon 5_.

Archive-name: tv/babylon-5/faq
Frequency: weekly
Last-modified: 29 May 1998

+-----------------------------------+
|  BABYLON 5 FAQ, part (A):         |
|  Information about Babylon 5      |
|  and answers to Frequently Asked  |
|  Questions.  Includes guidelines  |
|  for online discussion groups.    |
|                                   |
|  29 May 1998 Edition - FINAL ONE  |
+-----------------------------------+

I am retiring the Babylon 5 FAQ because it has been made obsolete by the
large number of other resources available on the World Wide Web.  There
isn't really a need for a FAQ anymore in today's WWW world.

Time-dependent information has been removed from this final version.
Files like this tend to get archived for a while, so I am publishing a
final version to stay in the various archives so it doesn't appear that
a new version is forthcoming.

For the latest information on Babylon 5, I direct you to:

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html
for the highly detailed "Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5."

http://www.thestation.com/home.html
for a wide range of merchandise and collectables.

http://tnt.turner.com/babylon5/
for the latest information in U.S. airings.

These sites, or sites pointed to by these sites, should hold the information
you need to keep up on Babylon 5.

    -------------------------
    Contents of this FAQ List
    -------------------------

    1.  What is Babylon 5?
    2.  Where can I see Babylon 5?
        (a) USA  (b) Canada  (c) Satellite  (d) Elsewhere  (e) Video
    3.  Who is behind Babylon 5? (i.e. Who the heck is JMS?)
    4.  What other SF projects has JMS been involved with?
    5.  What kind of Special Effects does Babylon 5 have?
    6.  Babylon 5 Episodes and Stories
        (a) Television Episodes         (b) Novels      (c) Comics
    7.  How can I contact the folks behind Babylon 5?
    8.  One-Liner FAQs
    9.  Miscellaneous Info
        (a) Babylon 5 online  (b) Fans' influence (c) Awards
        (d) Babylon 5 References in other JMS works
        (e) Miscellaneous Production Info  (f) Production vs. Airing Order
        (g) Production Changes  (h) Fan Clubs
    10. Where to find online information
        (a) Internet  (b) GEnie  (c) America Online  (d) CompuServe  (e) Other
    11. Credits and Legalese

------------------------------

Subject: 1.  What is Babylon 5?

Babylon 5 is a science fiction television series, set in the mid 23rd Century,
which takes place on a five-mile-long space station, centrally located near
Earth and four other alien alliances.  The station was built as a kind of
United Nations, to help preserve peace in the galaxy;  Each of the alliances
has an official representative on the station.

Unlike most television series, an overall story arc has been planned for
Babylon 5 as if it were a miniseries or written novel.  Over the course of its
five-year run, events tell an overall story;  hints are dropped along the way
that foreshadow events to come.  However, each hour-long episode tells an
individual story and can be viewed alone. (As the show has progressed, many
episodes are less stand-alone than the earlier ones, however.)

The series is in its fifth season in North America, and is also airing
in many other countries, usually behind the US.  The show, originally
syndicated to individual stations across the U.S, is now airing on cable/
satellite network TNT, with new fifth-season episodes each week as well as
daily reruns.

A sequel series, to be called _The Babylon Project: Crusade_, has been
confirmed, and will begin production in July 1998 for a January 1999 premiere.

------------------------------

Subject: 2.  Where can I see Babylon 5?

Please see the Lurker's Guide for the latest information.

------------------------------

Subject: 3.  Who is behind Babylon 5? (i.e. Who the heck is JMS?)

The show was created by J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), who is co-executive
producer on the show along with Doug Netter.  It has been in development since
1987, and in production since 1992.  Doug Netter is an equal partner in
Babylon 5, mainly handling the business side and leaves the creative work to
Straczynski.  Harlan Ellison is the Conceptual Consultant for the series;  he
has also written a "manifesto" for the show that explains to other writers how
to write science fiction for television and Babylon 5, in particular.  Well-
known science fiction writers, including David Gerrold, D.C. Fontana, and
Peter David contributed scripts to some episodes, although JMS writes the bulk
of the scripts.  Christopher Franke, formerly of Tangerine Dream, does the
soundtrack.

------------------------------

Subject: 4.  What other SF projects has JMS been involved with?

JMS has been involved with genre television for many years, as story editor
and writer for the Twilight Zone TV series (syndicated version), Captain
Power, and the animated The Real Ghostbusters.  He has also written for 'Jake
and the Fatman' and 'Murder, She Wrote.' JMS has also had many published short
stories, an anthology, and two fantasy/horror novels.  Until recently, he was
co-host of Hour 25, a Los Angeles area science fiction radio talk show.  He
has also written a well-regarded book on scriptwriting.

------------------------------

Subject: 5.  What kind of Special Effects does Babylon 5 have?

All special effects for Babylon 5 are computer generated imagery (CGI).
For the first three seasons, the effects were done by Foundation Imaging,
headed by Ron Thornton, utilizing Lightwave 3D and specialized software to
design and render the visual effects.  (Lightwave is now running on PCs;
Amigas were used originally.)  Macintoshes and PCs are used occasionally
for 2-D effects and painting packages. Starting in season 4, the effects
are done in-house at Netter Digital, using similar equipment to Foundation's.

------------------------------

Subject: 6.  Babylon 5 Episodes and Stories

========    a. Television Episodes

PILOT MOVIE (year 2257)

 00. 02-22-93      The Gathering    Writer: JMS  Director: RC
 00. 01-04-98      The Gathering [re-edited and re-scored version]

SEASON ONE (2258)        (Season title: "Signs and Portents")

 #   Week of  No.  Title                     Writer  Director
 ------------------------------------------------------------
 01. 01-26-94 103  Midnight on the Firing Line  JMS  RC
 02. 02-02-94 102  Soul Hunter                  JMS  JJ
 03. 02-09-94 104  Born to the Purple           LD   BSG
 04. 02-16-94 101  Infection                    JMS  RC
 05. 02-23-94 108  The Parliament of Dreams     JMS  JJ
 06. 03-02-94 110  Mind War                     JMS  BSG
 07. 03-09-94 107  The War Prayer               DCF  RC
 08. 03-16-94 106  And the Sky Full of Stars    JMS  JG
 09. 04-20-94 113  Deathwalker                  LD   BSG
 10. 04-27-94 105  Believers                    DG   RC
 11. 05-04-94 111  Survivors                    MSZ  JJ
 12. 05-11-94 114  By Any Means Necessary       KD   JJ
 13. 05-18-94 116  Signs and Portents           JMS  JG
 14. 05-25-94 119  TKO                          LD   JF
 15. 07-06-94 109  Grail                        CM   RC
 16. 07-13-94 122  Eyes                         LD   JJ
 17. 07-20-94 115  Legacies                     DCF  BSG
 18. 07-27-94 120  A Voice in the Wilderness I  JMS  JG
 19. 08-03-94 121  A Voice in the Wilderness II JMS  JG
 20. 08-10-94 118  Babylon Squared              JMS  JJ
 21. 08-17-94 117  The Quality of Mercy         JMS  LSF
 22. 10-26-94 112  Chrysalis                    JMS  JG

SEASON TWO (2259)     (Season title: "The Coming of Shadows")

 #   Week of  No.  Title                     Writer  Director
 ------------------------------------------------------------
 23. 11-02-94 201  Points of Departure          JMS  JG
 24. 11-09-94 202  Revelations                  JMS  JJ
 25. 11-16-94 203  The Geometry of Shadows      JMS  MV
 26. 11-23-94 204  A Distant Star               DCF  JJ
 27. 11-30-94 205  The Long Dark                SF   MD
 28. 12-07-94 206  Spider in the Web            LD   KC
 29. 12-14-94 208  Soul Mates                   PAD  JF
 30. 01-25-95 207  A Race Through Dark Places   JMS  JJ
 31. 02-01-95 209  The Coming of Shadows        JMS  JG
 32. 02-08-95 210  Gropos                       LD   JJ
 33. 02-15-95 211  All Alone in the Night       JMS  MD
 34. 02-22-95 212  Acts of Sacrifice            JMS  JJ
 35. 02-29-95 213  Hunter, Prey                 JMS  MB
 36. 04-26-95 215  There All The Honor Lies     PAD  MV
 37. 05-03-95 214  And Now For a Word           JMS  MD
 38. 05-10-95 217  In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum    JMS  DE
 39. 05-17-95 216  Knives                       LD   SP
 40. 05-24-95 218  Confessions and Lamentations JMS  KC
 41. 10-11-95 220  Divided Loyalties            JMS  JT
 42. 10-18-95 219  The Long, Twilight Struggle  JMS  JF
 43. 10-25-95 221  Comes the Inquisitor         JMS  MV
 44. 11-01-95 222  The Fall of Night            JMS  JG

SEASON THREE (2260)      (Season title: "Point of No Return")

 #   Week of  No.  Title                     Writer  Director
 ------------------------------------------------------------
 45. 11-06-95 301  Matters of Honor             JMS  KC
 46. 11-13-95 302  Convictions                  JMS  MV
 47. 11-20-95 303  A Day in the Strife          JMS  DE
 48. 11-27-95 305  Passing Through Gethsemane   JMS  AN
 49. 01-29-96 304  Voices of Authority          JMS  MB
 50. 02-05-96 306  Dust to Dust                 JMS  DE
 51. 02-12-96 307  Exogenesis                   JMS  KC
 52. 02-19-96 308  Messages from Earth          JMS  MV
 53. 02-26-96 309  Point of No Return           JMS  JJ
 54. 04-01-96 310  Severed Dreams               JMS  DE
 55. 04-08-96 311  Ceremonies of Light and Dark JMS  JF
 56. 04-15-96 313  Sic Transit Vir              JMS  JT
 57. 04-22-96 312  A Late Delivery from Avalon  JMS  MV
 58. 04-29-96 314  Ship of Tears                JMS  MV
 59. 05-06-96 315  Interludes and Examinations  JMS  JT
 60. 05-13-96 316  War Without End, Part I      JMS  MV
 61. 05-20-96 317  War Without End, Part II     JMS  MV
 62. 09-30-96 318  Walkabout                    JMS  KC
 63. 10-07-96 319  Grey 17 is Missing           JMS  JF
 64. 10-14-96 320  And the Rock Cried Out,      JMS  DE
                   No Hiding Place
 65. 10-21-96 321  Shadow Dancing               JMS  KF
 66. 10-28-96 322  Z'ha'dum                     JMS  AN

SEASON FOUR (2261)       (Season title: "No Surrender, No Retreat")

 #   Week of  No.  Title                     Writer  Director
 ------------------------------------------------------------
 67. 11-04-96 401  The Hour of the Wolf         JMS  DE
 68. 11-11-96 402  What Ever Happened           JMS  KD
                   to Mr. Garibaldi?
 69. 11-18-96 403  The Summoning                JMS  JM
 70. 11-25-96 404  Falling Toward Apotheosis    JMS  DE
 71. 1-27-97  405  The Long Night               JMS  JL
 72. 2-03-97  406  Into the Fire                JMS  KD
 73. 2-10-97  407  Epiphanies                   JMS  JF
 74. 2-17-97  408  The Illusion of Truth        JMS  SF
 75. 2-24-97  409  Atonement                    JMS  TD
 76. 4-21-97  410  Racing Mars                  JMS  JT
 77. 4-28-97  411  Lines of Communication       JMS  JF
 78. 5-05-97  412  Conflicts of Interests       JMS  DE
 79. 5-12-97  413  Rumors, Bargains and Lies    JMS  MV
 80. 5-19-97  414  Moments of Transition        JMS  TD
 81. 5-26-97  415  No Surrender, No Retreat     JMS  MV
 82. 6-02-97  416  The Exercise of Vital Powers JMS  JL
 83. 6-09-97  417  The Face of the Enemy        JMS  MV
 84. 6-16-97  418  Intersections in Real Time   JMS  JL
 85. 10-06-97 419  Between the Darkness         JMS  DE
                   and the Light
 86. 10-13-97 420  End Game                     JMS  JC
 87. 10-20-97 421  Rising Star                  JMS  TD
 88. 10-27-97 501/ The Deconstruction           JMS  SF
              422* of Falling Stars
* Shot in the fifth season, 501 became the season 4 finale,
  replacing 422, the series finale, to air in season 5.

SEASON FIVE (2262)       (Season title: "The Wheel of Fire")

 #   Date     No.  Title                     Writer  Director
 ------------------------------------------------------------
 89. 98/01/21 502  No Compromises               JMS  JG
 90. 98/01/28 503  The Very Long Night of       JMS  DE
                   Londo Mollari
 91. 98/02/04 504  The Paragon of Animals       JMS  JG
 92. 98/02/11 505  A View from the Gallery      JMS+ JG
 93. 98/02/18 506  Learning Curve               JMS  DE
 94. 98/02/25 507  Strange Relations            JMS  JF
 95. 98/03/04 508  Secrets of the Soul          JMS  TD
 96. 98/04/01 511  Day of the Dead              NG   DL
 97. 98/03/11 509  In the Kingdom of the Blind  JMS  DE
 99. 98/03/18 510  A Tragedy of Telepaths       JMS  TD
 99. 98/03/25 512  Phoenix Rising               JMS  DE
100. 98/04/08 513  The Ragged Edge              JMS  JC
101. 98/04/15 514  The Corps Is Mother,         JMS  SF
                   The Corps is Father
102. 98/05/27 515  Meditations on the Abyss     JMS
103. 98/06/03 516  Darkness Ascending           JMS  JG
104. 98/06/10 517  And All My Dreams,           JMS  GG
                   Torn Asunder
105. 98/06/17 518  Movements of Fire and Shadow JMS
106.          519  The Fall of Centauri Prime   JMS
107.          522  Wheel of Fire                JMS
108.          520  Objects in Motion            JMS
109.          521  Objects at Rest              JMS  JC
110.          422/ Sleeping in Light            JMS JMS    
              522a*
* Shot in the fourth season, 422 became the series finale.

TV MOVIES       (airing on TNT)

     Date          Title                     Writer  Director
 ------------------------------------------------------------
     01-04-98      In the Beginning             JMS  JT
     07-19-98      Thirdspace                   JMS  MV
     11-08-98      The River of Souls           JMS  JG
     01-03-99      A Call to Arms               JMS  JG?

* * * * * See the Lurker's Guide for more current information.

A sequel series, titled _The Babylon Project: Crusade_, will begin production
in July 1998, for premiere in January 1999.  Further details can be found in
the Lurker's Guide. 

WRITERS:    PAD = Peter A. David; LD = Larry DiTillio; KD = Kathyrn Drennan;
            DCF = D.C. Fontana; SF = Scott Frost; DG = David Gerrold; NG =
            Neil Gaiman; CM = Christy Marx; JMS = J. Michael Straczynski; JMS+
            = JMS with story by JMS and Harlan Ellison; MSZ = Marc Scott
            Zicree.

DIRECTORS:  MB = Menachem Binetski; RC = Richard Compton; JC = John Copeland;
            KC = Kevin Cremins; MD = Mario DiLeo; KD = Kevin Dobson; TD = Tony
            Dow; DE = David Eagle; JF = John Flinn [III]; KF = Kim Friedman;
            LSF = Lorraine Senna Ferrara; SF = Stephen Furst; GG = Goran
            Gajic; JG = Janet Greek; BSG = Bruce Seth Green; JJ = Jim
            Johnston; DL = Doug Lefler; JL = John LaFia; JM = John McPherson;
            AN = Adam Nimoy; SP = Stephen Posey; JT = Jesus [Salvador]
            Trevino; MV = Michael [Laurence] Vejar.

========    b. Novels

Date   Title                     Author           ISBN (US)     ISBN (UK)
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 02/95 Voices                    John Vornholt    0-440-22057-2 0-7522-0644-3
 04/95 Accusations               Lois Tilton      0-440-22058-0 0-7522-0649-4
 09/95 Blood Oath                John Vornholt    0-440-22059-9 0-7522-0654-0
 02/96 Clark's Law               Jim Mortimore    0-440-22229-X 0-7522-0153-0
 03/96 The Touch of Your Shadow, Neil Barrett Jr. 0-440-22230-3 0-7522-0158-1
        The Whisper of Your Name
 05/96 Betrayals                 S. M. Stirling   0-440-22234-6
 03/97 The Shadow Within         Jeane Cavelos    0-440-22348-2
 04/97 Personal Agendas          Al Sarrantonio   0-440-22351-2
 06/97 To Dream                  Kathryn Drennan  0-440-22354-7
       in the City of Sorrows
 01/98 In the Beginning                           0-345-42452-2
       [Novelization of JMS story] Peter David
 ??/98 Thirdspace
       [Novelization of JMS story] Peter David

See the Lurker's Guide for more recent information.

========    c. Comics

 Month Issue    Title               Writers/Artists
 --------------------------------------------------------
 01/95  1   In Darkness Find Me     JMS/Netzer/Leigh
 02/95  2   Treason                 Mark Moretti/Netzer/Leigh
 03/95  3   In Harm's Way           Moretti/Garzon
 04/95  4   The Price of Peace      Moretti/Netzer/Leigh

Shadows Past and Present
 05/95  5   With Friends Like These Tim DeHaas/John Ridgway
 06/95  6   Against the Odds        ""
 07/95  7   Survival the Hard Way   ""
 08/95  8   Silent Enemies          ""

Laser-Mirror-Starweb
 09/95  9   Duet for Human and Narn in C Sharp  David Gerrold
 10/95  10  Coda for Human and Narn in B Flat   ""

 11/95  11  The Psi Corps and You               DeHaas/Ridgway

 01/98  12  In Valen's Name         JMS/Mike Collins
 02/98  13  In Valen's Name 2       JMS/
 03/98  14  In Valen's Name 3       JMS/

See the Lurker's Guide for more recent information.

------------------------------

Subject: 7.  How can I contact the folks behind Babylon 5?

You can contact TNT to thank them for picking up B5, at the following
address:

Turner Network Television (TNT)
One CNN Center
P O Box 105366
Atlanta, GA 30348

You can write to the show's creator, as well as the cast and crew, at the
following address.  DO NOT SEND SCRIPTS OR STORY IDEAS.  Babylon 5 is NOT
accepting outside stories or story ideas.

J. Michael Straczynski (or any cast or crew member)
C/O BABYLON 5                                      <---- VERY IMPORTANT !!!!
14431 Ventura Blvd, suite 260
Sherman Oaks, CA  91423

(Babylon 5 is filmed on an independent lot; they are not open for set tours.)

E-mail to JMS:  To avoid causing problems & wasting JMS's time, PLEASE:

 * Do not send JMS e-mail inquiries & comments about the Babylon 5 story.
   If you have questions/comments, do so only in a PUBLIC forum.
   (But first, see the Lurker's Guide page for the current episode, or search
   the JMS archives to see if your question was already asked and answered!)

 * Only send JMS e-mail regarding confidential matters, and then only to his
   Genie address.  (See the Lurker's Guide archives to find that out.)

 * Do not send JMS any attached files.  (A Trojan Horse got him recently!)

 * Do NOT send story ideas, requests to read scripts/stories, requests for
   agent suggestions, requests for items, autographs, scripts, tours, etc.

------------------------------

Subject: 8.  One-Liner FAQs

Following are some of the questions asked a lot by newcomers to Babylon 5 and
brief answers to those questions.

Production:

Q: Are the B5 novels and comics part of the official B5 canon?
A: Yes, JMS attempts to make sure the other stories tie into the big story.

Q: How come [insert name] is in the opening credits but not in the show?
A: Characters contracted for 7 or more episodes are in the opening credits.

Q: Which came first, Deep Space 9 or Babylon 5?
A: B5 was pitched to Paramount in 1989, two years before DS9 was created.

Q: What has happened with Harlan Ellison's scripts?
A: They've been delayed due to poor health and a full schedule.

Q: Is the "Be seeing you" salute a reference to "The Prisoner"?
A: Yes, most definitely.  It first appeard in season 1's "Mind War."

Q: Why don't we usually see stars revolving outside C&C?
A: CGI is too costly; They're still working on a reasonable solution.

Q: Who does the voice for the main B5 computer?
A: Haley McLane, Script Supervisor on the B5 production staff for seasons 1-3.

General:

Q: Why are they using paper in the 23rd century?
A: Paper is convenient.  It's actually a recyclable, synthetic material.

Q: Why was Sinclair, only a Commander, given the job of running the station?
A: The Minbari rejected all choices, down the line, until it reached Sinclair.

Q: What does the "Third Age" of mankind mean?  What are the 1st and 2nd?
A: This is not revealed until the first part of the fourth season.

Q: Why is the C&C (Command and Control) Dome sometimes empty?
A: It goes on "standby" every 36-48 hours for maintenance, backups, etc.

Q: How is the "sound in space" issue dealt with?
A: Existence of sound in space is debatable; you can think of it as music.

Q: Did Ivanova and Winters have a romantic affair?
A: Yes.

Aliens:

Q: What's with the Centauri Hair?
A: Hair is a measure of status: more elaborate = higher status. Women go bald.

Q: What is that thing on Minbari heads?
A: It's a bone; it grows with age and differs for individuals, sex, and caste.

Q: Is Bill Mumy (Lennier) the same guy from _Lost In Space_?
A: Yes.  Only much older.

Q: How did the war between Earth and the Minbari start?
A: A misunderstanding on first contact.

Q: What is known about Vorlons?
A: Very little. Reclusive, and may be hiding something under those suits.

Q: Why are we always seeing aliens speaking English to each other?
A: As in WWII movies, we assume they are speaking in their native tongue.

Q: What race has the 'flying saucer' ships?
A: The Vree, a race that shows up from time to time; first in "Deathwalker."

Technology:

Q: How do jump gates work?
A: Ships enter one and exit another. Large ships can make their own points.

Q: What's the size and capacity of the station?
A: 5 miles long, holding as many as 250,000 beings (many in transit).

Q: How do PPGs (Phased Plasma Guns) work?
A: A super-heated burst of plasma, burning through the air.

Q: How does communication with Earth work?
A: Tachyons, giving instantaneous communications; problematic in jump gates.

Q: Where in the galaxy is the station?
A: Less than 25 light years from earth, at the star Epsilon Eridani.

Q: How does C&C have gravity?
A: They are about 1/3 out from the center, so they do have light gravity.

------------------------------

Subject: 9. Miscellaneous Info

========    a. Babylon 5 online

Because JMS has been on GEnie talking about Babylon 5 since late 1991, GEnie
is a choice place to be for a Babylon 5 fan.  On the GEnie Science Fiction
RoundTable, there are two Babylon 5 categories where JMS talks with the fans
about the show, both production and story info.

Other Babylonians can be found online as well -- John Vulich and Mojo have
been spotted on Usenet; Mira Furlan lurks on GEnie; many writers such as David
Gerrold, Peter David, John Vornholt, and Christy Marx are on GEnie or CI$.

JMS is very active on the Usenet (since July 1993), although he stopped
participating when the flamebait quotient became intolerable.  He has rejoined
the Usenet fold with the creation of the moderated newsgroup.

JMS is also active on BIX, on CompuServe, and several other systems. (He also
"lurks" on a few systems to get a sense of how Babylon 5 discussions go
without his presence known.)

What JMS gets out of his participation online, is, as he puts it, a "sense of
the room."  Being a writer means coming up with questions to strengthen
characters and the world of the story, but nobody could ever come up with
every conceivable question. The nets are helpful because, as JMS puts it, "on
the nets, you get questions you never *dreamed* of."

One topic of discussion that arises frequently is the request that no story
ideas be suggested in the online forums.  This request is in place because if
somebody suggests a story, and it happens to be one that JMS is working on
already, that JMS is potentially open to lawsuits if the poster were to
suspect that her story idea were stolen.  For instance, JMS had to scrap a
story he was working on because somebody asked 'What if Joe wrote a story in
which a "memory-challenged" person DISCOVERED records of who he or she was?'
(This story was resurrected in the third season after some difficult legal
finageling....)

Often there are suggestions that the poster could include with their ideas a
"disclaimer" or a "release."  This has been debated over and over again, but
the issue boils down to the problem that no matter what, the B5 production
would be exposed to lawsuits, which, even if frivolous and unwinnable, would
shut down production of the show while in litigation.  Television producers in
general must go to great lengths to keep themselves protected, so JMS's
presence online hangs in a delicate balance.  If you do wish to suggest story
ideas, you can use the creative mailing list described in section 10a.

Online lore:  On usenet, a running joke is the Sinclair's "duck."  This
reference came about because of rude postings about male and female anatomy,
which became censored to words "T*TS" and "D*CK," which became "tots" and
"duck." There are also running gags about Zima and baseball bats.  Don't ask.
There's of course the <*> symbol that shows up in many fans' signatures since
the first season; it appears to represent a jumpgate, but its origin is lost
in obscurity.

========    b. Fans' influence on the show

The location of Babylon 5 is at Grid Epsilon 470,18,22 which corresponds to
the original location of the Babylon 5 topic on GEnie (Page 470, CAT 18, Topic
22).  The first mention of a planet's coordinates in "Mind War" were Grid
Epsilon 471,18,25 which corresponds to a topic in the Babylon 5 Category on
GEnie.

Partially due to fan response from those who saw the pilot movie or clips,
some things in the pilot movie were changed before broadcast.  The voice of
Delenn is Mira Furlan's voice without any processing and Delenn is female to
begin with.  Original plans were to electronically process her voice and have
Delenn change sex during the series. Some additional voice-over was done by
Patricia Tallman to clarify one scene in the show with Kosh in the Medlab.

The branding of a Minbari in "The War Prayer" that had similarities to a DS9
episode was kept after feedback from fans about it.  It had been considered
removing the branding scene and electronically wiping the brand from the rest
of the episode.

In the first season, when names submitted for a mega corporation and a mineral
were rejected for legal reasons, JMS went to the GEnie B5 Category and asked
for suggestions. The resulting names used are Quantium-40 for the mineral
(submitted by David Strauss) and Universal Terraform for the company (submit-
ted by Arne Starr), and were used in "Parliament of Dreams" and "Mind War."
Perhaps not coincidentally, the waiter in one of the episodes is named David.

The denizens of "Downbelow" are called "lurkers," a term for those on the
newsgroups who read messages but never post.

Based on interest in the legal aspects of the Psi Corps, he indicates how
some of this works in "The Quality of Mercy."

An EA ship in "A Voice in the Wilderness" is named "Hyperion" in
acknowledgment of the original name of the Babylon 5 archive site and home of
the Lurker's Guide, formerly ftp.hyperion.com.

The lightbulb joke in "Convictions" is an homage to the net presence of
B5 and the various jokes that people post.  A reference to Sheridan's "true
face" as being mashed by his pillow came out of Usenet discussion.

========    c. Awards

Sept. 1993  - Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects for the Pilot movie
March 1994  - Space Frontier Foundation award for "Best Vision of the Future"
Sept 1994   - Emmy award winner for makeup in "The Parliament of Dreams"
?           - Cult TV Award for best new series, UK
?           - Jewish Televimage Award
July 1995   - Emmy nominations: Cinematography, Hairstyling, Makeup
May 1996    - "The Coming of Shadows" awarded Compuserve Homer Award for
              Dramatic Presentation
July 1996   - "Comes the Inquisitor" nominated for Emmy in Cinematography
Sept. 1996  - "The Coming of Shadows" wins Hugo award
Oct. 1996   - Sci-Fi Universe: Best Series, Best Actor (Boxleitner), Best
              Sup. Actor (Jurasik), Best Sup. Actress (Furlan)
Oct. 1996   - Space Frontier Foundation award for "Best Vision of the Future"
Dec. 1996   - American Cinema Foundation's E Pluribus Unim Award
              for Television Series, Drama: "Passing Through Gethsemane"
July 1997   - Emmy nomination for best makeup in "The Summoning"
Aug. 1997   - "Severed Dreams" wins Hugo award

See the Lurker's Guide for more recent information.

========    d. Babylon 5 References in other JMS works

In the Captain Power episode "Final Stand," Tank mentions that he's from the
Babylon 5 Genetic Engineering Colony.

In the JMS Novel "Othersyde," Babylon 5 is mentioned as one of the characters'
favorite TV series.

In the Captain Power Episode "A Summoning of Thunder Part 2", when Hawk
activates the first power suit, Mentor says "And So It Begins".  This has
been confirmed by JMS as a "Koshism" he threw in.

========    e. Miscellaneous Production Info

Babylon 5 is being filmed in the 16:9 aspect ratio, trimming it for broadcast.
Plans are for the episodes to later be available in widescreen on laserdisc
and when HDTV happens.  The opening titles are in letterbox format.

Audio is being done in full Surround Sound.  Larry DiTillio wrote
background dialogue (known as "walla") in the first two seasons.

Alien makeup and such for the series is being done by Optic Nerve Studios
(Everett Burrell and John Vulich) which is a change from the pilot.

The early episodes had some video and audio degradation due to the manner in
which commercials, closed captioning and such were being added using analog
transfers and used tape.  Some was corrected by the broadcast of "The War
Prayer" with more improvements in time.

Several "errors" have been broadcast and then later fixed.  The original
"Mind War" had a CGI error (you could see a bright star through a ship in
the first scene) that was corrected for later broadcasts.  The original North
America satellite feed of "Chrysalis" was incorrectly assembled; some markets
broadcast this version.  An incorrect historical reference to Jack the Ripper
from "Comes the Inquisitor" was replaced.  In "Moments of Transition", an EA
Cruiser was mistakenly labelled the Agamemnon, and will be replaced.  It is
anticipated that footage of Anna Sheridan featuring Beth Toussant was
replaced with Melissa Gilbert footage to improve continuity. (VERIFICATION?)

========    f. Production Order vs. Airing Order

Several episodes were aired in a different order than they were originally
produced.  One reason is to allow extra time for post-production of a
particularly effects-laden episode.  In a few cases, episodes were aired in
a slightly different order from their original production order; for details,
see WWW: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/

The fourth season finale was as production number 501, along with the fifth
season episodes.  This is because the series finale had already been filmed,
and once B5 was given its fifth season, the episode was held until the end of
the fifth season.

TNT has assured fans that the episodes, when aired on TNT, will be aired in
an official order as determined by JMS.

========    g. Production Changes

----> Between pilot and first season:

Due to reworking and recasting after the pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Laurel Takashima,
Dr. Benjamin Kyle, and telepath Lyta Alexander were replaced.  Kyle and
Alexander were sent back to Earth under "mysterious circumstances"; Takashima
is on a classified mission, and may return someday.  Much of the character
stories and back-histories were transferred to their replacements.

Make-up for G'Kar was improved; Delenn's look was substantially modified once
it was established that the character would be female.

----> Between first and second season:

Director Richard Compton, a fixture on B5 at its inception, left the show
after "Grail."  The narration and main titles was changed to be shorter, and
to include new graphics introducing the characters.  Many improvements in
costumes, makeup, lighting, and FX were added for season 2. Several new sets
were added, including a bazaar and an officer's lounge called "Earhart's,"
after the famed aviator. In order to advance the story, the character of
Commander Sinclair was moved "off the chess board" at the start of season 2.
According to JMS, this was a mutual, amicable decision between producers and
Michael O'Hare.  Lt. Cmdr. Ivanova was promoted to Commander; Delenn went
through a physical change.  Na'Toth was re-cast, and the character of Warren
Keffer was added.

----> Between second and third season:

The narration changed once again.  Additional sets were brought on, including
a rather large one.  Keffer and Talia Winters, and Na'Toth are no longer on
the show; Zack Allan was made a regular character, and Marcus Cole was brought
in as a regular.

----> Between third and fourth season:

Foundation Imaging is no longer doing the visual effects; they are now done in
house by Netter Digital.  Additionally, many of the behind-the-scenes crew
that had been on the show since the beginning are not returning.  Lyta
Alexander joins the main cast of the show.

----> Between fourth and fifth season:

Claudia Christian leaves the cast; Tracy Scoggins joins the cast.

----> A list of episodes that have been mentioned online and later retitled.

  "Blood and Thunder"       -->  "Midnight on the Firing Line"
  "Amaranth"                -->  "Born to the Purple"
  "Carnival!"               -->  "The Parliament of Dreams"
  "A Knife in the Shadows"  -->  "Survivors"
  "Backlash"                -->  "By Any Means Necessary"
  "Raiding Party"           -->  "Signs and Portents"
  "The Resurrectionist"     -->  "The Quality of Mercy"
  "Chrysalis, Part II"      -->  "Points of Departure"
  "A Trick of the Mind"     -->  "A Spider in the Web"
  "Pestilence, Famine & Death">  "Soul Mates"
  "Cat and Mouse"           -->  "A Tragedy of Telepaths"

  Season 3 was initially called "I am Death, Destroyer of Worlds."

> Scripts not used in Season 1:

  "Target Unknown" and "Metaphors and Body Counts" (David Gerrold)

> Harlan Ellison stories mentioned but not written: "Midnight in the Sunken
  Cathedral" and "Demon on the Run"

> Season 2 story titles shelved:

  All Our Songs Forgotten, a.k.a. "Unnatural Selection" (D.C. Fontana),
  The Very Long Night of Susan Ivanova (JMS), "Expectations" (David Gerold)

========    h. Fan Clubs

See the Lurker's Guide for current listings.

------------------------------

Subject: 10. Where to find online information

More detailed information can be found on the WWW at
http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/resources/online.html

========    a. INTERNET

WORLD   "The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5" is by far the best source for
WIDE    B5 updates, information, analyses, images, and so on.
WEB     North America (West):        http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html
        Mirrors of the Midwinter site are:
        North America (East):           http://www.dscga.com/lurk/lurker.html
        Australia:                      http://www.cybersite.com.au/babylon5/
        Sweden:                    http://www.lysator.liu.se/lurk/lurker.html
        Greece:                           http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/lurker.html

        The Babylon 5 Fan club:
        http://www.thestation.com/home.html

        The Official B5 web site is less ambitious, but has a nice set of high
        quality official graphics, movies, etc. at http://www.babylon5.com/
        However, do not expect to see much new content here now that TNT is
        hosting the show.
        
        TNT has a nice site, http://tnt.turner.com/babylon5/.  It holds
        North-American schedule information and other goodies.

        The site for the Official B5 Fan club is http://www.thestation.com/
        
        An unofficial encyclopedia is http://interweb.uml.edu/B5/Enc/

        The web holds dozens of web pages devoted to B5; you can find many
        of them via links at the Lurker's Guide or the official site.

USENET  rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.info
        A low-volume, moderated list for announcements and information related
        to Babylon 5, as well as general compilations of JMS postings.
        A must for anybody who can get Usenet.  Created November 1995.
        This group is archived on the web: http://ivory.ora.com/rastbi/
        (IS THIS SITE STILL ACTIVE?)

        rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
        The new moderated discussion group in which JMS participates, as well
        as co-producer George Johnsen, along with occasional other B5 staffers
        and writers.  Created April 1996.

        rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5
        This group was created in Mar 28 1994 and is the main unmoderated
        Babylon 5 discussion newsgroup.  JMS no longer participates here.

        alt.tv.babylon-5
        The original Usenet B5 group, created Feb 18 1993, and still online

        uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5 and aus.sf.babylon5 are UK and Oz groups.

        rec.video.satellite, rec.arts.tv, and rec.arts.sf.tv may also contain
        Babylon 5 discussion and announcements.

FTP     ftp.midwinter.com (206.148.146.193) is the main site from which you
        can retrieve Babylon-5-related files via anonymous FTP.
        NORTH AMERICAN MIRROR: ftp.uml.edu
        AUSTRALIAN MIRROR: econ-www.newcastle.edu.au
        EUROPEAN MIRROR:  ftp.ctrl-c.liu.se

REVIEW  The Babylon 5 Reviews Electronic Forum, moderated by Jefrey Anbinder.
LIST    To subscribe, e-mail the automated list server, listproc@cornell.edu.
        Put a single line into the body of the  message, reading:
        SUBSCRIBE B5-REVIEW-L Firstname Lastname
        This is processed by machine, so do not include a signature.

STORY   An outlet for creative "fan fiction" has been set up as a mailing list
IDEAS   in order to keep JMS from being exposed to any story ideas.  There's
LIST    also a speculation mailing list.  Send e-mail to these addresses:
        b5-creative-request@lists.best.com for creative stories, or to
        b5-speculation-request@lists.best.com for speculation.  Place the word
        SUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.

INTERNET A continuous chat exists on EFnet on channel "#Babylon5".
RELAY   Info on the B5 chat: http://www.nwlink.com/~brett/B5irc/
CHAT

MUD/    There's a B5 MUD (info: rmeikle@cs.strath.ac.uk ) reachable by:
MUSH    telnet underworld.demon.co.uk 2010 / visit babylonfive
        A B5 Mush can be found at gateway.targonia.com 4201.

LOCAL   MANY areas now have local area mailing lists, thanks to the babcom
AREA    list server.  WWW: http://www.babcom.com/b5/lists.shtml
LISTS   Or, over e-mail, send 'help' to majordomo@babcom.com for a complete
        list of commands.  'lists' gets you the list of lists served.

JMS     To get mailings of JMS's answers from Usenet (and their preceeding
RELAY   questions) as well as digest of CI$ JMS postings, send e-mail to
LIST    majordomo@majordomo.cs.columbia.edu containing "subscribe b5jms"
        Another similar service is available by sending e-mail to
        majordomo@ulc199.residence.gatech.edu with "subscribe jms-posts"
        in the body of the message.
        WWW: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~ezk/b5jms/

WARNER  A new mailing list from Warner Bros. for fans has been started; it has
BROS.   occasional "newsletter" mailings.  Mail listserv@taz.warnerbros.com
LIST    with body text: subscribe babylon5 firstname lastname
        [This list may no longer be active.  Let me know if you know!]

ELEC-   "The Zocalo" is a 4100+ member B5 club/newsletter via e-mail.
TRONIC  Send your first name, where you found this info, your city, state,
NEWS-   and country of residence to katana@highfiber.com.
LETTERS WWW: http://www.highfiber.com/~katana/

========    b. GEnie

The two Babylon 5 topics are located at Page 471, Category 18 (general
series-related) and 19 (episode-specific).  Archives of past messages are
available in the GEnie SFRT files areas, along with graphics files and the
interactive demos are also available in the file area.

========    c. America Online (AOL)

AOL now features a Babylon 5 Section (Keyword: Babylon5). There are official
promotional images, movies, and sounds and an (uncredited!) adaptation of this
FAQ list. Interactive interviews with the cast and crew occur frequently.  JMS
now participates in the message areas.

========    d. CompuServe

JMS is a regular daily participant in the SF & Fantasy Media One Forum
(SFMEDONE), where there are three active Babylon 5 sections (for general
discussion and spoiler discussions, and the UK audience), two weekly B5
conferences, and quarterly JMS conferences.  There is also another B5
conference, in the eDRIVE grouping of forums, under ETV, Section 7, SF/Sci-Fi;
JMS pops in there from time to time.

========    e. Other

JMS also frequents BIX, and lurks on other networks; there are active B5
sections on many other networks and BBSs around the world.  Babylon 5
graphic files, information files, and forwarded JMS postings are available
on many of these systems.  If you have a local BBS or network, feel free to
add some of the resources from the FTP site over to that system!

------------------------------

Subject: 11. Credits and Legalese

This text file may be distributed online, in complete or excerpted form, as
long as acknowledgement is made to the authors, and the URL of the current
version of this file is indicated. (see top of document.)

The Babylon 5 Frequently Asked Questions List part (A) is Copyright 1996-98 by
Dan Wood.  Acknowledgement is made to J. Michael Straczynski, previous FAQ
maintainer Lee Whiteside and to excerpted contributions from the Babylon 5
online libraries, especially The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 and The Zocalo.

Maintained by Dan Wood.  This is the final edition.

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