The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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  1. <html>
  2. <head>
  3. <title>Babylon 5 Universe: The Station (season three)</title>
  4. <map name="toplevel">
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  20. <body>
  21. <p align=center nowrap><nobr><img
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  28. alt="">
  29. <br><a href="intro.html"><img
  30. align=top border=0
  31. src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-intro.gif" width=100 height=24
  32. alt=" [Introduction]"></a><a
  33. href="setting-3.html"><img
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  36. alt=" [Setting]"></a><a
  37. href="cast-3.html"><img
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  40. alt=" [Main Cast]"></a><a
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  44. alt=" [Supporting Cast]"></a><img
  45. align=top border=0
  46. src="/lurk/nav/lit/un-station.gif" width=100 height=24
  47. alt=" ### STATION ###"></a>
  48. </nobr>
  49. <p>
  50. <a href="station-1.html">Season 1: "Signs and Portents"</a><br>
  51. <a href="station-2.html">Season 2: "The Coming of Shadows"</a><br>
  52. <strong>Season 3: "Point of No Return"</strong><br>
  53. <a href="station-4.html">Season 4: "No Surrender, No Retreat"</a>
  54. <h1>
  55. <a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Effects/station4.jpg"><img align=middle
  56. src="/lurk/gif/station.gif" align="middle"></a>
  57. <a href="/lurk/ftp/Clips/rotate.avi"><img src="/lurk/gif/movie.xbm" alt="[Movie]"></a>
  58. The Babylon 5 Station
  59. </h1>
  60. <h3>Originally written by J. Michael Straczynski on GEnie</h3>
  61. <p>
  62. <strong>Babylon 5</strong>
  63. is a space station in neutral space more or less central to all
  64. five of the different alliances, human or alien. To get to one or the
  65. other, you have to pass through this sector of space. Thus, Babylon 5 has
  66. been created as a sort of port-of-call for travellers, statesmen,
  67. emissaries, traders, refugees and other, less savory characters.
  68. <p>
  69. Five miles long, Babylon 5 is divided into
  70. separate, discrete sections that rotate at differing speeds to provide
  71. different gravities to accommodate those who come to the station. It
  72. boasts the latest in defensive weaponry from Earthforce R&D, enough to
  73. hold off a large Centauri war cruiser -- a capability, unfortunately, which
  74. has been put to the test. Of course, even the best weapons Earth has to offer
  75. would be useless if the Shadows attacked. Luckily, the station isn't alone.
  76. <p>
  77. Babylon 5 is in orbit around the third planet in the Epsilon Eridani star
  78. system, a world which was until recently believed to be barren, devoid of life.
  79. In 2258, however, the remains of an ancient civilization were discovered
  80. buried deep beneath the planet's surface: a massive, planetwide machine of
  81. awesome offensive power. It is currently under the control of Delenn's
  82. mentor, Draal, who took over from the former guardian in
  83. <a href="/lurk/guide/019.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness, part 2."</a>
  84. Draal has placed the planet's power at the disposal of Captain Sheridan, for
  85. use in the battle against the Shadows.
  86. <p>
  87. As for locations inside B-5...we've designed a number of very different
  88. looks and locations to give it a non-claustrophobic feel. By virtue of
  89. being patterned physically after the work of such scientists as Gerard K.
  90. O'Neill, the absolute center of the elongated station (which revolves to
  91. provide gravity) is a sort of hollow-world look, with fields and hydroponic
  92. gardens along the 360-degree circular section (which is about a half-mile,
  93. or a mile across)...and as you get closer to the absolute center, where a
  94. transport tube cuts from one end of the station to the other, naturally you
  95. get less and less gravity until you can literally hang suspended. This
  96. area is known as the Garden.
  97. <p>
  98. <a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Effects/garden.gif"><img
  99. src="/lurk/gif/garden.gif" alt="The Garden (GIF)"></a>
  100. <a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Effects/garden-night.gif"><img
  101. src="/lurk/gif/garden-night.gif" alt="The Garden at 'night'(GIF)"></a>
  102. <p>
  103. And there are living areas designed to accommodate different environments
  104. and atmospheres and conditions. The alien sectors are off-limits to humans
  105. without protection (breathing gear and other measures). Similarly, a heavy
  106. CO2 breather or methane breather would have to wear an encounter suit to
  107. travel among the humans on the station.
  108. <p>
  109. <a href="station-map-3.html"><img width=100 height=24 hspace=4 align=middle
  110. border=0 alt="[More Info]" src="/lurk/nav/moreinfo.gif"></a>
  111. <em>A map of the station.</em>
  112. <p>
  113. Some sections of the station, called the Downbelow, are inhabited by Babylon
  114. 5's equivalent of the homeless, called Lurkers. Most of them are people who
  115. came to the station looking for work; they didn't find any, and can't afford
  116. passage offstation. No government is willing to pay to ship them home (and
  117. in some cases, they wouldn't even be <em>allowed</em> home) so they languish on
  118. the station. The Downbelow is a center of criminal activity on B5, though by
  119. no means is crime confined to that area.
  120. <p>
  121. Finally, on sets and the "look" of the place...again, there will be a mix.
  122. Parts of the station are still under construction, and parts are finished.
  123. Some sections are in daylight, some in night, alternating by level and
  124. sector. On the very outer ring, the viewports are in panels ON THE FLOOR,
  125. so you're looking down and out into space, revolving beneath your feet.
  126. Some places will be beautifully finished and neat, and other areas will be
  127. very rough and in-the-works. (Remember, B5 only recently went operational,
  128. and thus there are still some parts being constructed.)
  129. <p>
  130. In talking with our production designer, John Iacovelli, the one term he
  131. kept using, over and over, was "travelogue." We should get a real sense in
  132. this show of a world turned inside out...with varying textures, lighting,
  133. angles, and a mix of looks. There will <strong>not</strong> be a homogeneous
  134. look to
  135. this place, if I or Iacovelli have anything to say about it. You can walk
  136. from the carefully and neatly appointed Council Chamber room, to the high-
  137. tech control room, to a section of the station under construction and
  138. exposing beams and wires, to the dark and noire-looking nightclub, to the
  139. Garden, to....
  140. <p>
  141. <a href="http://www.nas.nasa.gov/NAS/SpaceSettlement/"><img width=100 height=24
  142. hspace=4 align=middle border=0 alt="[More Info]"
  143. src="/lurk/nav/moreinfo.gif"></a>
  144. <em>NASA's "Orbital Space Settlements" page.</em>
  145. <p>
  146. <strong>Next:</strong> <a href="/lurk/episodes.php">The Episodes</a>
  147. <pre>
  148. </pre>
  149. <p nowrap>
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  165. </nobr>
  166. <h5>
  167. Last update:
  168. October 15, 1995
  169. </h5>
  170. </body>
  171. </html>