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								"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.