From: Edward_Lee_Whiteside@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv,rec.arts.tv,rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: BABYLON 5: Babylon 5 Info File
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 92 13:49:26 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

[Here's a file with info on Babylon 5 condensed from the more detailed
FAQ List which is available on the coe.montana.edu ftp site.  Cast details
will be added once they are all known.]

The Babylon 5 Information File (7-26-92)

by Lee Whiteside

WHAT IS BABYLON 5?

Babylon 5 is a new science fiction television series that will be part
of a new Warner Bros. Television Consortium, much like the Fox network
when it started.  It is set on a Space Station in the mid 23rd Century.
It will premiere on in February 1993 with a two hour movie, "The
Gathering" with a weekly series to follow, provided the response is good
to the movie.  Also appearing on the Warners Consortium will be
"Time Trax" and "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues".

The show was created by J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), who will be co-
executive producer on the show along with Doug Netter.  It has been in
development for over four years, the last few with Warner Bros.

        J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 has a long and healthy
relationship with SF and related genres.  He has previously been the
story editor and primary writer for the syndicated Twilight Zone series,
and his recent adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
for Showtime earned him both Ace and Writers Guild Award nominations.
He has story edited such other series as Captain Power, the animated Real
Ghostbusters, and such mainstream network programs as Jake and the Fatman
and, concurrent with  Babylon 5's development, producer on the highly rated
Murder, She Wrote. He has also written many published short stories, a
published anthology, and two published dark fantasy/horror novels.

Richard Compton, Director: Richard is an *extremely* well-regarded
director from both film and TV. For television, he's directed such TV
movies as "Desperado", ST:TNG ("Haven"), many episodes of "The Equalizer"
and "Hill Street Blues" and other shows and movies and TV movies.

Heading up the effects and production elements are Ron Thornton
(computer EFX) and John Iacovelli (production designer).  Ron, one of the
country's foremost experts in computer-generated graphics, will be working
with NewTek -- creators of the Video Toaster, a company on the cutting
edge of computer EFX technology -- to create images never before seen on
television. John Iacovelli, from HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, is bringing a
range of innovative new techniques to give the everyday scenes of
Babylon 5 in action a vastly different and futuristic look.


        WHAT IS BABYLON 5 -- The Concept

        The year is 2257.  Mankind has gone to the stars, and we
have found that we are not alone.  There are other governments and
empires that are far older than ours, and some that are younger.
Some we met in peace, and began an exchange of technology and
information that substantially increased the pace of Terran space
exploration and colonization.  Some contacts were hostile.

        And some led to outright war.  The Earth/Minbari war lasted
for almost a decade, and led to one of the great mysteries of the
time in which our story is set.  On the very edge of victory over
the Earth Alliance, when everything Earth tried had failed and their
destruction seemed imminent...the Minbari surrendered.  It is now
five years later, and the dark secret behind the Minbari surrender
will finally begin slowly to emerge.

        And over the course of the series, that secret will have a
direct and substantial impact on Babylon 5.

        As for Babylon 5 itself...it is a space station roughly
three miles in length, with docking bays fore and aft.  It is made
up of sections that rotate at varying speeds to create alternate
gravities to accommodate various lifeforms.  Different atmospheres
are also used in different sections.  Babylon 5 is located at a key
jump-point; to get from any one of the five major confederations
(four alien, one human), you almost always have to pass through this
sector of space.  Thus, the area surrounding Babylon 5 has been
designated Neutral Territory.

        Babylon 5 itself, therefore, functions as a sort of futuristic
free-port, a space-borne Casablanca open to travelers from anywhere,
going anywhere; people fleeing from something or escaping to something,
on missions of urgency...smugglers, diplomats, scientists, mappers,
traders, soldiers, refugees...sooner or later, they all come to
Babylon 5.

        The station boasts substantial facilities, including the
docking bays, customs areas, nightclubs, casinos, meeting rooms,
a Rent-A-Telepath service for use by businessmen, living quarters
and other facilities.  Because the station creates its gravity by
rotation, like an O'Neill sphere, the very center of Babylon 5 is
a null-gravity area.  On the fringes of that round section, where
gravity returns, hydroponic and other forms of gardens and crops
have been planted.  In that respect, Babylon 5 is a self-enclosed
planet turned inside-out.  It is self-sustaning in most regards.

        Though run under the nominal jurisdiction of the Earth
Alliance, the station also has an advisory council consisting of
one ambassador from each of the four major alien confederations,
with the station commander forming the fifth, tie-breaking vote.
In that sense, the station serves as a sort of min-U.N., the
first time all five groups have ever gathered together before
under one roof.  As such, Babylon 5 represents the best chance
for peace that's come along in a very long time.

        But there are also those who profit by trying to
sabotage that peace.  And they, too, come to Babylon 5.

        The station is called Babylon 5 because it is not the
first such attempt.  Babylons 1 through 3 were sabotaged and
destroyed.  Babylon 4 disappeared mysteriously, without a trace,
24 hours after becoming operational.  Which makes life aboard
Babylon 5 tenuous at best.  They are very literally on the fringe,
on their own.  If something should happen, no one could reach
there in time to help.

Commander Jeffrey Sinclair:
    Jeffrey Sinclair is the Commander in charge of the Babylon 5  space
station.  His concerns, though, tend to be more broad in scope...acting
as the informal representative of the Earth Alliance, dealing with
questions of policy and procedure, and keeping an eye on the Ambassadors.

Vice-Commander Laurel Takashima:
     The day-to-day operations of the station are handled by Vice-
Commander Laurel Takashima.  (In case Sinclair is incapicated or off-
station, Laurel is also empowered to take his place on the Council and
speak for the E.A.)

     Laurel can usually be found in the B5 Command and Control Room (also
referred to as the Observation Dome), where ships are coming and going,
keeping an eye on who's going where.  All departments report directly to
her, and she is answerable only to Sinclair and Earth Central. 
Laurel is one of the few command crew actually born on Earth, she
is consistently on top of things and is Sinclair's buffer between
his diplomatic responsibilities and the physical running of the
station.  She has considerable interaction with the ambassadors 
and others coming aboard the station.  She's tough, and smart, 
and resourceful and she can also take care of herself physically 
QUITE well.

Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic:
Londo is the most human of all the various ambassadors, and there's
some speculation that we might be a long forgotten outpost of the 
Republic.  Of course, the only ones MAKING that assertion are Londo's 
people, who have much to gain in trying to convince others of that.

They are governed by an emperor, and the government
works mainly through personal and family influence.  It's
a very indulgent society, and Londo reflects that. 
Overweight, prone to gambling constantly (null-pool is his
favorite), and fond of women and drinks, he understands
his role and doesn't try to push it.  Like his Republic, he
subsists on old stories and tales of former glory, remarking
-- one night, when drunk -- "my god, we've become a
tourist attraction.  See the Great Fallen Centauri Republic,
open nine to five...Earth Time."  He is, by turns, a comic
figure, and a tragic figure.

Narn Ambaddasor G'Kar:
The Narns once were very much under Centauri control,
and they received in many ways the most brutal treatment
of any "protectorate" in Centauri jurisdiction.  A little
under a hundred years ago, as the power of the Centauri
Republic was fading, the Narns broke their chains in open
revolution and expelled the occupying army, achieving
independence.

Which brings us to Ambassador G'Kar (pronounced JAH-
karr), of the Narn Regime, married to a female war hero,
whose fathers on both sides were also distinguihed
veterans of a hundred campaigns.  In the main, his task is
to use the facilities of B5 wherever possible to Narn
advantage == from arranging tech-smuggling to military
objectives and so on -- while doing all possible to interfere
with the basic purpose of the station, to create the peace. 
Peace is not in their best interests, though they give the
opposite impression. They want to keep all sides divided
and at each others throats so that they're occupied while
the Narns grow and expand quietly in the background. 
The last thing they want is an alliance aimed against them
before they're ready.

Carolyn Sykes:
Carolyn Sykes has been romantically involved with
Commander Sinclair for a couple of years when we meet
her.  She knows quite a bit about him, but there are some
things he still hasn't told her.  They have a very adult,
sexual relationship, and they are both independent and
equal.  She is the owner, and pilot, of the trading vessel
Ulysses...a self-made woman who's an established and
respected trader in a variety of goods.  She works mainly
within the Earth Alliance colony worlds, though in the last
few years she's added routes in the Centauri sector.

She's sophisticated, sharp, and no-nonsense...screw around
with her too much, change the terms of your agreement in
hopes of taking unfair advantage of her, and she'll jettison
the cargo right into the sun.  She has a reputation to
protect, and would rather lose the deal than be dealt with
unfairly.  It sets a bad precedent...and on some of the
worlds she has to deal with, the perception of strength is
vital.

Dr. Benjamin Kyle:
Ben Kyle is Babylon 5's resident xenobiologist. 
He's in his late forties or early fifties, black, very
thoughtful, very dignified...with a sly sense of humor (not
sarcasm) that tends to catch one off guard.  He began as
a physician on Earth, and was a leading researcher into
xenobiology there, gaining a quick grasp of the ins and
outs of the few alien cultures that we (then) were in
contact with.

Naturally inquisitive, early on as a much younger man he
began to "hitch-hike" onto deep-space ships, always
hungery for new information that could be used by
humans and outworlders alike.  (His deal was that he
would act as ship's physician without charge, in exchange
for a bit of freedom whenever they made planetfall
somewhere.)

He has seen, catalogued and operated on more alien
lifeforms than just about any other Earther in this time. 
And had his share of close scrapes, as well.  Some races
consider is sacrilege for any other race to "enter" their
bodies through surgery...Ben will take the risk if it means
saving a life.

Security Chief Michael Garibaldi:
Michael Garibaldi has a long and not terribly salutory history.  
He's been bounced from one job to another for years, always 
getting into trouble with someone or other, usually because he 
won't back down from a fight, and won't obey orders that involve 
hidden criminalities. He's also been framed on occasion...all of
which drove him into serious problems with alcohol.  He's
largely overcome those problems...at least, so he now believes.

He's in his late thirties or early forties, with a face lined
by the troubles he's survived.  He was brought to B5 by
Commander Sinclair, over EA objections, because Sinclair
wanted someone who would do what was required, even
if it involved him.  Someone with allegiance only to the
truth.  He got it.  Now he has to figure out if that's really
such a good idea or not....

Minbari Ambassoder Delenn:
Although the station  was always intended as a sort of
mini-U.N. as well as a free-port, with an Ambassador
from each different alien alliance present, the Minbari
refused to name an ambassador until the station
commander was named first.  Shortly after Sinclair was
named Commander, the Minbari assigned their first
ambassador to the station.  His name is Delenn.  And he
stays very close to Commander Sinclair.  Some say he is
keeping a close eye on Sinclair. Some say he is Sinclair's
friend.  And some say there may well be something very
lethal behind those unreadable Minbari eyes.

Lyta Alexander:
The station's resident rent-a-telepath is Lyta  Alexander. 
She works for Babylon 5, but she is available
for businessmen who need to make sure that the person
across the table can really deliver what's promised. (Note:
she is not the only one, they're pretty common in business
at this time in the future.)  Not an empath, by the way, but
a proper, licensed (Psi-Corps, Level 5) Telepath.  Bound
by all the regs of the P-C.  No random scanning, no
access to the gaming tables, no unauthorized dipping, all
deals must be on record.   A telepath peeping into
someone's mind or emotions without that person's
permission (or that of the next of kin) can likely have his
or her license revoked.  She's in her early 30s or late 20s.

Vorlon Ambassador Kosh Naranek:
Last, but not least, are the Vorlons.  There ain't much we can SAY 
about the Vorlons...because nobody KNOWS anything about them.

In the opening movie, everyone's awaiting the arrival of
the fifth and final ambassador (four if you don't count
Sinclair) from the primary alien governments.  He is a
Vorlon, a race we have tried, without much success, to
learn about ever since we first picked up their
transmissions.  Several scout ships were sent on First
Contact missions.  All of them met with unfortunate
"accidents" upon entering Vorlon space.   The Vorlons
tendered their most *sincere* apologies.  And suggested
no further expeditions.

Now, at last, with Babylon 5 becoming functional, and all
of the other ambassadors in place, it no longer makes
strategic sense to continue in their isolation.  So the arrival
of the Vorlon is a Big Deal.  No human has ever even SEEN a Vorlon.

And they play it right up to the hilt.  The ambassador --
Kosh Naranek -- maintains only audio contact with
Babylon 5 as his ship makes the long voyage, citing
"problems" with audio.  He clearly doesn't want to
broadcast the Vorlon face all over the quadrant.  So no
problem, after all, he has to arrive eventually, and they'll
see him then.     Not quite.

The ship arrives.  The Vorlon ambassador emerges from
his ship...and well, y'see, he comes from a very different
environment.  Lots of methane and CO2.  Our atmosphere
is poisonous to Vorlons.  So he emerges wearing an
Encounter Suit...which covers every square inch of his
body except for his hands -- assuming those ARE his
hands -- with a dark faceplate in the front. The only place
he can remove all of that is in his quarters, and there are
no vids in his quarters, no way to observe him or see his
true face.

So...even now, no human has STILL ever seen a Vorlon.


        The primary goal behind Babylon 5 is to do a show that is
both good sicence fiction and good televison.  An SF series without
cute robots or kids.  An SF series that is thoughtful, but which
has action.  An SF series for grownups, with the same level of
characterization and storytelling found in such shows as Hill Street
Blues or St. Elsewhere or L.A. Law.

        In preparing Babylon 5 for production, a comprensive five
year arc has been created.  Though stories will stand on their own
in each episode, the series overall will gradually tell a story on
a much grander scale, a tapestry of falling and rising empires in
which one or two individuals may mean the difference between a new
dark ages on one side and a future of hope on the other.  In that
respect, Babylon 5 will be treated as a five-year miniseries, with a
definite beginning, middle, and end, with each year equalling one
"chapter" or book in the saga.  In that respect, it has been likened
by some to going for the broad tapestry of a Lensman or Foundation
series of books.


For more info about Babylon 5:

a) On the GEnie Science Fiction Roundtable, there is a Babylon 5 topic
where JMS talks with the fans about the show, both production and story
info. Most of the information in this FAQ came from this topic.
It is located at Page 470, Category 18, Topic 22.  Archives of past
messages are availabe in the GEnie SFRT files areas.

b) Available on GEnie and Compuserve, in their respective science fiction
file areas, are GIF files of the Babylon 5 logo, and two pictures from
the computer animation.

c) FTP site:  ftp@coe.montana.edu has a Babylon 5 files area in
/ftp/pub/TV/Guides/babylon-5 with the GIF files and the detailed
Babylon 5 FAQ List (this is condensed from that).

d) Starlog: The September 1992 issue of Starlog has an article on
Babylon 5.  Note that the pictures used in the article either are
very outdated or have nothing to do with the show.


*****************************************************************

The Babylon 5 Information File

Compiled mostly from posts by J. Michael Straczynski on the Babylon 5
topic in the GEnie Science Fiction Roundtable (Page 470; Cat 18; Topic
22).

Compiled by Lee Whiteside   
            L.WHITESIDE (GEnie), 76044,502 (Compuserve)
            Edward_Lee_Whiteside@cup.portal.com (USENET)
            P14942@email.mot.com 
            Sysop of the Magrathea/SEVAC BBS (602)833-9216

Send e-mail to the P14942@email.mot.com address and I'll email back the
latest Babylon 5 FAQ List.  Note: It is NOT automated.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv