New Babylon 5

I've only managed to catch a few episodes over the life of the series, but the ones I saw seemed far superior to the Trek episodes of the time or any other sci-fi on tv for that matter.
 
I became a fan during the TNT reairing before they aired season 5. After that I didn't have a chance to see them again until last year when I got some asian bootlegs. However, recently I bought all the seasons from WB along with Crusader and had previously got the movies.

The original series is my favorite scifi show/movie series as the first time you watch it and the major plot points unfold before you it is pretty amazing.

I also purchased the Legend of Rangers DVD...ugh I don't know what the hell JMS was thinking but it is awful.

As to this new thing going with JMS, we'll just have to see because the last major project fell through (memory of shadows movie). but best of luck to them.
 
While I've never been a fan of B5, I do love the fact that their fanbase is getting another chapter seemingly out of nowhere.
 
B5 is jolly good fun. I hope that the new project turns out good. Some of the new things, like "Legend of the Rangers", were bad.

And what about "A Call to Arms"? The massive battle against Earth so insipid it was almost an accomplishment on itself. All that with a abysmal musical score.
 
I just started watching Crusader for the first time and as an avid B5 fan I can see why it didn't last it's 5 season run. It is interesting and all but does not have the same draw that the original had for me.
 
Just got this e-mail from the B5 list...B5 "The Lost Tales" first DVD has finished shooting. This looks to be very promising for fans of the original series. Enough of me though, here's what JMS had to say...

"December 1, 2006

As I write this, we have finished principal photography on "Babylon 5: The Lost Tales," coming in under budget and finishing a full day ahead of schedule.

This first DVD, entitled "Voices in the Dark," covers the same 72 hour period of time as Sheridan travels on board a Presidential Cruiser en route to Babylon 5 from Minbar for a celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Interstellar Alliance. One part of the story follows Sheridan as he picks up an unexpected visitor on the edge of Centauri space, Prince Regent Dius Vintari, and a warning about what will come afterward delivered by the techno-mage, Galen. The other part of the story is set aboard Babylon 5, as Colonel Lochley summons a priest from Earth space to deal with a problem that may have dark supernatural overtones. The two parts of the greater story intersect at certain key plot and thematic points, so that they overlap and complement each other while telling separate, but simultaneous, stories.

The first DVD is going to require nearly 200 EFX shots, taking us all over Alliance space, and Babylon 5, which is being redesigned using the latest CGI technology. The same CGI is being used to create virtual sets a la Sin City, but on an even more detailed basis, in many cases integrating them with practical sets based on the original blueprint designs for Babylon 5.

A number of behind-the-scenes pieces were shot for inclusion on the DVD, as well as a number of original short pieces that will be filmed in February which feature glimpses into the future of Babylon 5 and her characters.

We have set-up a temporary webpage of photos from the shoot from my personal collection. These images mark the very first photos to emerge from production.
[http://babylon5scripts.com/TLT-JMS-photos.html]

For more information, keep an eye on www.babylon5.com as well as Babylon5scripts.com. WB will be integrating the internet as a key component for promoting B5:TLT and we are pleased to be a part of that effort. "
 
huh? there still producing Babylon-5 films?! why wasn't I informed?!

i would of heard of this..i must invetigate..quickly fire up the whitestar..i must investigate this further...
 
I just got the first 9 volumes of the script books for xmas...pretty good stuff. I'm really looking forward to volume 15 though.
 
I just started watching Crusader for the first time and as an avid B5 fan I can see why it didn't last it's 5 season run. It is interesting and all but does not have the same draw that the original had for me.

In all fairness Crusade was cut short far too early so it never really had a chance to develop. B5's first season wasn't particularly great but the later season's improved greatly while Crusade was canceled before it's first season was finished so it never had the chance to get better.
 
So I've finished going through the first 9 volumes of scripts and must say that in some cases it's really interesting to see how casting problems sometimes changed scenes and dialogue. I was always puzzled by the lack of more appearances by Draal, the heart of the Great Machine and volume 8 does a great job of explaining the situation.

A little pricey, but if you a B5 fan a very nice edition to a collection.
 
I've started to watch the JMS ep's now with the scripts in hand and I must say it's really great. There's a lot of interesting scenes that get dropped for one reason or another, but reading them while watching really makes it all the richer.
 
Just thought I'd pass this along...

JMS said:
January 12, 2006

For those who signed up for the mailing, a bit of an inside update on where things stand on Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (whose production was hailed just this week in the new TV Guide under the "Cheers and Jeers" column) (and yes, we got the "cheer" part of that, wiseass)...

I'll be flying back up to Vancouver toward the end of the month to supervise the dialogue looping and to start reviewing the finished CGI shots being created by Atmosphere.

We've also designed a brand new title sequence for Babylon 5, which incorporates all of the major characters, and emphasizes the interconnectedness of the characters seen over the show. There will also be a separate set-piece placed just before the main title sequence that will tie back visually to our series finale, "Sleeping in Light," in kind of a tribute to the end of that volume and the starting of this one.

We're also finishing up the director's blogs and behind- the-scenes pieces, which will show Bruce, Tracy, Peter and our new cast members, with the former group commenting on both the future of B5 and their own memories and reflections on Babylon 5. There will also be meditations and tributes to the passing of Richard Biggs and Andreas Katsulas from their fellow cast members.

The director's blogs will follow production from script through prep and shooting...though in some cases with a bit of an unusual approach. (I can never do anything serious with a straight face.) You see, there was something innovative and new and unusual and artsy that I wanted to do with this movie, but did the studio get the majesty, the novelty, the innovativeness of that idea? No, no, of COURSE not. But by gosh you'll get a preview of it here...and the world of SF will never be the same again....

Also, Volume 10 of the B5 scripts should be out in February. Although, JMS has been selected for jury duty and the exact date is still not set.
 
Just wanted to inform those who are following the B5 scripts and new The Lost Tales DVDs.

Volume 10 will be released on Wednesday, February 28 at 10am Pacific.

We will send out an alert as soon as it's released.

We realize that some of you know that JMS got the material to us ahead of schedule and were hoping for an earlier release date.

The reason we are not releasing v10 sooner is because we've gotten so much email about it, we wanted to give CafePress more time for pre-printing to meet demand.


P.S. JMS just gave us a two, new images for the B5 TLT photo page -- including the new B5 logo.
Images
 
B5 is jolly good fun. I hope that the new project turns out good. Some of the new things, like "Legend of the Rangers", were bad.

And what about "A Call to Arms"? The massive battle against Earth so insipid it was almost an accomplishment on itself. All that with a abysmal musical score.

Bad music score, definately! :eek: Topped only by those weird "Bellhop" uniforms in "Crusade". I liked the black coveralls far better.
 
I have to say I have greatly enjoyed the first 9 script volumes. They are great to go along with a marathon rewatching of the series. Some of the things that were changed are really a good read.
 
Can you give some examples?

(I'm asking out of curiosity -- not to prove that they're actually as interesting as you claim. :))
 
I'd love to but mine are buried in a box somewhere in my living room (I just recently moved).

When I get them out I'll find some nice examples for you.

Also Volume 10 goes on sale today!
 
Well since I can't dig out my copies that easily, it might be easier just to repeat what they are saying is in V. 10, which looks to be the best one yet! All the other volumes contain similar insider views about the series, so I hope that sort of answers your question LOAF.

VOLUME 10 CONTAINS THESE SCRIPTS:
• Rumors, Bargains and Lies
• Moments of Transition
• No Surrender, No Retreat
• The Exercise of Vital Powers
• The Face of the Enemy
• Intersections in Real Time
(A Passing Shadow)
• Between the Darkness and the Light

Hot on the heels of the first screening at the February 2007 New York Comic Con of the director's video blogs for Babylon 5: The Lost Tales comes Volume 10, which might as well be called Babylon 5: The Lost Arc.

Read in more detail than ever announced what steps were taken to truncate the 5 year arc into 4 years at the request of Warner Bros...and the previously unknown back-room maneuvering underway to try and save that last important year.

Discover a lengthy memo to TNT for an ALTERNATE VERSION OF SEASON FIVE, with a whole new overarching story that would have been keyed to building the empire that was now the Interstellar Alliance.

Most startling of all, this volume contains a recently uncovered FULL LENGTH TREATMENT for the B5 sequel series JMS had proposed before Crusade, that was his first choice over what eventually became Crusade, a series that would have starred Sheridan, Delenn, G'Kar, Marcus, one of the Zathrii, and several others in a story set against the backdrop of the Alliance attempting to create interstellar peace.

And on the back cover, the full-color illustration done by artist Peter Ledger that showed, for the first time ever, what the interior of the Garden area of Babylon 5 would look like.

As if all that were not enough, add 56 pages of original introduction and commentary written just for this volume, AND the full, original production drafts for some of the most pivotal and fan-favorite episodes of Season Four.

(What's that you ask? What the heck is "A Passing Shadow" and how did this script transmute itself into "Intersections in Real Time" by way of one of the most amazing coincidences in television history? Get Volume 10 and find out.)
 
For those that are interested just got this e-mail.

It's now official. Babylon 5: The Lost Tales will be released on July 31, 2007.

Earlier today Amazon.com started allowing fans to pre-order. The suggested price is $24.98 but they are discounting it to $16.99 (which saves $7.99). Click here to pre-order.

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales stars original cast members Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins and Peter Woodward.

The DVD's bonuses include the "Straczynski Diaries" (also known as Joe's director blogs), which is JMS' first person, inside look at the creative process involved in making of Babylon 5:The Lost Tales. Also included are behind-the-scenes interviews and cast interviews.

The DVD's running time is 75 minutes. It's in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
 
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