lurkers-guide/misc/50-eps-release

"Babylon 5" Creator J. Michael Straczynski Establishes New Precedent for
Scripting 50 One-Hour Episodes in a Row

 (Burbank, CA - May 1997) -- J. Michael Stracyznski, creator, writer and
executive producer of the Emmy Award winning television series "Babylon 5,"
has boldly taken his vision where no man dared go before. Straczynski has set
a new precedent for American Television by becoming the first person in the
history of the medium to singularly script 50 one-hour episodes in a row
--representing over two full seasons of the series.  Additionally, he is
writing and co-producing two feature length movies for TNT, a prequel and
sequel to "Babylon 5's" current storyline, due out in early 1998, and has
made his directorial debut with the final episode of season four.  

 Only Straczynski knows the entire multi-year story arc of his pioneering
epic which chronicles the adventures of an ecclectic group of humans and
aliens aboard a five-mile long, self contained space station.  "To tell a
coherent, cohesive, and consistent story this large, with so much written by
one person, has never before been attempted in American television," comments
Straczynski.  "And there's a reason for that.  You have to be out of your
mind to even try it!

  "It was nothing I ever wanted to do and wanted to avoid at all costs, but
the difficulty of incorporating freelance stories into what is, essentially a
novel for television, began to make that impossible, as much as we tried to
make it work," adds Straczynski.  "A number of critics point out that film or
television cannot allow for writers to be auteurs, but I think we have
disproved that notion.  Television can be treated with the same literary
approach and creative control as books or short stories.   Babylon 5 has
shown that it is possible to tell a single story, to create a true novel for
television, that spans not just weeks, but multiple years--setting threads
and clues that play out over the course of years, trusting to the patience
and intelligence of the audience."  In fact,  "Babylon 5" has been endorsed
by Viewers for Quality Televsion for the past three years. 

 "I've been given this remarkable opportunity by Warner Bros. to just go and
tell my story," continues Straczynski.  "They have given us unrestrained
freedom to address issues of controversy--from the death penalty to
spirituality, gay issues, the role of religion vs. science, politics, even
examining the media itself."  
 
 All this has come at something of a steep price to Straczynski. For the past
four years, he has literally done nothing other than thinking about and
writing the "Babylon 5" epic and adhering to a rigorous daily regiment that
concludes each morning between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., 362 mornings per year.
 (This includes three to four hours a day interacting with fans on the
internet.) 

  "It's a hideous strain," he confesses. "If I'd known what I was getting
into, I might not have done it.  But once I was on the horse, I had to hold
on, no matter what!  And I know in my heart, this opportunity will never come
again." 
 
 "Babylon 5" stars Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle and Mira
Furlan. Richard Biggs, Bill Mumy, Jason Carter, Stephen Furst, Jeff Conaway
and Patricia Tallman also star, with Peter Juraski as "Londo" and Andreas
Katsulas as "G-Kar."
 
 "Babylon 5" is produced by Babylonian Productions, Inc. and distributed by
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. J. Michael Straczynski is the
series creator and Douglas Netter and Straczynski are the executive
producers. John Copeland serves as producer and George Johnsen is
co-producer. Eminent science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison is creative
consultant.

 Online fans can visit the Official Warner Bros. "Babylon 5" website at:
http://www.babylon5.com and the Official Fan Club site at:
http://www.thestation.com
###

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact:

 Sandi Serling, Serling & Associates
 xxx/xxx-xxxx
 sandis955@aol.com




[[[ Note: The following contains SPOILERS for much of the remainder of
    season four! ]]]




Babylon 5 Highlights through May and June


 This May and June, "Babylon 5" viewers will be led down a roller coaster
ride of plot twists. Civil war on Earth, mysterious deaths and political
intrigue onboard the station, threatens to tear apart what the combined
forces of The Vorlons, and The Shadows could not, as the fourth year of the
syndicated space epic, Babylon 5 comes to a heart stopping climax.

x Security chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle), leaves "Babylon 5," never
to return.
 
x Captain Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner), labeled a traitor by his own
government must deal with the ramifications of his split with Earthforce, and
the cost to him and his crew, promises to be high.
 
x After finally beating back the elemental Lords of Chaos and Order, The
Shadows and The Vorlons, a full scale civil war finally breaks out back home
on Earth with consequences threatening the station itself.  
 
x Viewers are certain to be transfixed as two lead characters will die before
the end of the season.
 
x Captain Sheridan will find himself face to face and alone against an agent
of Earthdome, when he is captured and must suffer through his inquisitor's
questions in a special one-hour episode, filmed in real time; an acting and
writing 'tour de force' that will grip Babylon 5 viewers by the throat.