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The announcement that Babylon 5 was to be shown on
Channel 4 was received almost immediately before transmission, so the only
information available in the early days was that the production was a
darker, grittier version of Deep Space Nine. Darker and grittier it was,
and it more than lived up to expectations. In essence it was DS9 with
laughter and tears: the cast and scripts putting a lot more emotion into
the programme than its rival ever boasted. This did much to endear it to
the audience, with computer-generated space scenes being so well detailed
that they were indistinguishable from model-made effects, adding to the
high quality of this production.
In America, the supremacy of the Star Trek stable was successfully
challenged by Babylon 5. The year is AD 2258 and the Emmy Award-winning
series is set on the five mile-long Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5,
built by an Earth now recovering after a massive war with the Minbari -
its mission, to act as an interstellar gateway between the five major
civilisations, which are represented by five on-board ambassadors. The
Earth crew is led by Commander Jeffrey Sinclair, an American of English
descent who mixes charm with intelligent observation in his running of the
station, and his Russian second-in-command, Susan Ivanova. Throughout the
first season, subtitled Signs And Portents, Sinclair gradually fights his
way through a veil of secrecy to discover what happened to him at the
Battle of the Line, the final battle in the Earth-Minbari War, ten years
before, when he went missing for twenty-four hours and has no memory of
that time. Ambassador Delenn has a lot to do with that disappearance,
something she is under orders to keep secret. She also keeps secret the
fact that she is a member of the Grey Council, the Minbari ruling body,
and not just a mere ambassador. Sinclair begins his voyage of discovery in
the second episode, but things really get moving in the episode And The
Sky Full Of Stars, when the Battle of the Line is shown for the first time
in a stunning display of CGI (one of the earliest examples of this level of CGI). A lot of questions are answered for Sinclair
but, true to the spirit of the series, as fast as that happens, more
questions are posed, and no one is what they seem.
Season Two, collectively subtitled The Coming Of Shadows, saw some
changes, with Delenn completing her transformation from Season One, and
Garibaldi waking from his coma to find a change of commanding officer.
Jeffrey Sinclair had been shuffled off by the new, fascistic World
President to become the first resident human ambassador on Minbar, and was
replaced on the station by Captain John Sheridan, a veteran of the
Earth-Minbari War. However, Sinclair continually made his presence felt
throughout the season in typical Babylonian style. Because of the command
gap at the top, Susan Ivanova was promoted to full commander.
From there it was full speed through the Narn-Centauri War. Throughout,
the series did not falter in its delivery of dramatic stories, plunging
the galaxy into war as the Centauri gradually crushed the Narn Regime and
overran its homeworld. But this was just a prelude to the Great War, long
predicted, against the Shadows themselves. The known worlds would have to
unite to survive. Babylon 5 was transformed from the galaxy's last hope
for peace, to its last hope of victory, and the programmes headed towards
one of the most moving series finales ever seen, as Sleeping In Light
rounded off the epic narrative.
The pilot episode was made before its Star Trek rival, with the first
full series being initiated in 1993. By that time some of the cast had
changed, but not to the detriment of the programme. Apparently the company
distributing the series, Warner Brothers, initially expected the series to
run for about five years, and viewers soon made up their own minds that
Warner’s were not wasting their time. Strangely enough, Channel 4 left
the screening of the pilot episode until later in 1994, starting straight
off with the first regular episode, written by J Michael Straczynski, who
penned twelve of the first season episodes. Babylon 5 also had scripts by
Star Trek regular DC Fontana and boasted among its consultants
science-fiction supremo Harlan Ellison. Andreas Katsulas, playing
Ambassador G'Kar under heavy make-up, had also appeared more than once as
the Romulan Ambassador Tomalak in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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REGULAR CAST
SEASON
ONE
Commander Jeffrey David Sinclair Michael
O'Hare
Lieutenant-Commander Susan Ivanova Claudia Christian (Not Pilot)
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Alfredo Garibaldi Jerry Doyle
Doctor Stephen Franklin Richard Biggs
(Eps 2, 4, 8-11, 14-16, 18, 20, 22)
PSI Corps Resident Telepath Talia Winters Andrea
Thompson (Eps 1, 3, 6, 9, 16-17, 20)
Minbari Ambassador Delenn Mira Furlan
(Pilot, Eps 1-2, 5, 7-8, 10, 13-14, 16-19, 22)
Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari Peter
Jurasik (Pilot, Eps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9-14, 17-18, 20, 22)
Narn Ambassador G'Kar Andreas Katsulas
(Pilot, Eps 1, 3, 5-7, 9-13, 22)
Minbari Aide Lennier Bill Mumy (Eps
5, 9, 14-15, 20, 22)
Centauri Aide Vir Cotto Stephen Furst
(Eps 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 22)
Narn Aide Na'Toth Caitlin Brown (Eps
5, 9, 12, 16, 22)
Vorlon Ambassador Kosh Ardwight
Chamberlain (Pilot, Eps 1, 7, 9-10, 13-14, 22)
Observation Dome Technician Marianne
Robertson (Eps 2-6, 8-9, 11-19, 21-22)
Garibaldi's Aide Macaulay Bruton (Eps
6, 8, 12, 22)
SEASON
TWO
Captain John J Sheridan Bruce
Boxleitner
Commander Susan Ivanova Claudia Christian
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Alfredo Garibaldi
Jerry Doyle
Doctor Stephen Franklin Richard Biggs
(Eps 1-5, 7-20)
PSI Corps Resident Telepath Talia Winters Andrea
Thompson (Eps 2, 6-8, 14, 16, 19)
Lieutenant Warren Keffer Robert Rusler
(Eps 1, 4, 10, 14, 18, 22)
Minbari Ambassador Delenn Mira Furlan
(Eps 1-2, 4, 7-12, 14-16, 18-22)
Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari Peter
Jurasik (Eps 2-3, 5, 8-9, 12, 14-15, 17, 20, 22)
Narn Ambassador G'Kar Andreas Katsulas
(Eps 2, 5, 8-9, 12, 15, 20-22)
Minbari Aide Lennier Bill Mumy (Eps
1-2, 8, 11, 14, 18, 21-22)
Centauri Aide Vir Cotto Stephen Furst
(Eps 3, 8-9, 12, 14, 16-17, 21-22)
Narn Aide Na'Toth Mary Kay Adams (Eps
2, 12)
Vorlon Ambassador Kosh Ardwight
Chamberlain (Eps 2, 9, 11-12, 14-16, 19-22)
Security Officer Zack Allan Jeff Conaway
(Eps 6, 9, 12-14, 16, 19, 22)
Observation Dome Tech Second Lt David
Corwin Joshua Cox (Eps 1, 3-4, 6, 10-13, 15, 17, 19-22)
SEASON THREE
Captain John J Sheridan Bruce
Boxleitner
Commander Susan Ivanova Claudia Christian
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Alfredo Garibaldi
Jerry Doyle (Not Eps 12, 17)
Doctor Stephen Franklin Richard Biggs
(Eps 1-4, 6-11, 13-15, 18-22)
Ranger Marcus Cole Jason Carter (Eps
1, 5, 7-8, 11, 13, 16-17, 19, 21)
Minbari Ambassador Delenn Mira Furlan
(Eps 1-6, 8, 10-22)
Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari Peter
Jurasik (Eps 1-4, 6, 9-12, 15-18, 20, 22)
Citizen G'Kar Andreas Katsulas (Eps
1-3, 5-6, 8-11, 13-14, 17-20, 22)
Minbari Aide Lennier Bill Mumy (Eps
1-2, 4, 6, 8, 10-11, 14, 16-22)
Centauri Aide Vir Cotto Stephen Furst
(Eps 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 17, 20, 22)
Vorlon Ambassador Kosh Ardwight
Chamberlain (Eps 1, 4, 6, 13, 15, 22)
Replacement Vorlon Ambassador Kosh Ardwight
Chamberlain (Ep 18)
Security Sergeant Zack Allan Jeff Conaway
(Eps 2, 4-5, 8-10, 12, 16, 19, 21)
Lieutenant David Corwin Joshua Cox
(Eps 3, 5, 9-11, 16, 21-22)
SEASON FOUR
Captain John J Sheridan Bruce
Boxleitner
Commander Susan Ivanova Claudia Christian
(Not Eps 2, 18, 22)
Michael Alfredo Garibaldi Jerry Doyle
(Eps 2-5, 7-8, 10, 12, 14-17, 19-22)
Doctor Stephen Franklin Richard Biggs
(Eps 2-4, 7-13, 15-17, 19-22)
Ranger Marcus Cole Jason Carter (Eps
2-3, 6, 9-11, 13, 15, 17, 19-21)
Security Chief Zack Allan Jeff Conaway
(Eps 1, 3-4, 7-9, 12-14, 16, 21)
Telepath Lyta Alexander Patricia Tallman
(Eps 1, 3-4, 6-7, 14, 16-17, 19-20)
Minbari Ambassador Delenn Mira Furlan
(Eps 1-11, 13-14, 17-22)
Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari Peter
Jurasik (Eps 1-8, 12-13, 15, 19, 21-22)
Citizen G'Kar Andreas Katsulas (Eps
1-5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 19, 21-22)
Minbari Aide Lennier Bill Mumy (Eps
1-3, 5-6, 8-11, 13-14, 17, 19-21)
Centauri Aide Vir Cotto Stephen Furst
(Eps 1, 3, 5-6, 15, 19, 21)
Vorlon Ambassador Kosh Ardwight
Chamberlain (Eps 1-4)
Lieutenant David Corwin Joshua Cox
(Ep 15)
SEASON
FIVE
President John J Sheridan Bruce
Boxleitner (Not Eps 7, 13)
Captain Elizabeth Lochley Tracy Scoggins
(Eps 1, 4-6, 8, 10-11, 17, 19, 21)
Alliance Head of Covert Ops Michael Alfredo
Garibaldi Jerry Doyle (Eps 1-6, 8-12, 14-22)
Doctor Stephen Franklin Richard Biggs
(Eps 1-7, 11-22)
Security Chief Zack Allan Jeff Conaway
(Eps 1-2, 4-7, 9-14, 16, 18-22)
Telepath Lyta Alexander Patricia Tallman
(Eps 3, 6-7, 9-11, 15, 17-20)
Minbari Ambassador Delenn Mira Furlan
(Eps 1-6, 8-10, 12, 14-22)
Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari Peter
Jurasik (Eps 1-4, 6, 8-10, 12, 14-18, 21)
Citizen G'Kar Andreas Katsulas (Eps
1-4, 6, 8-10, 12, 14-21)
Ranger Lennier Bill Mumy (Eps 2,
8, 14-18, 21)
Centauri Ambassador Vir Cotto Stephen
Furst (Eps 2, 14-18, 21-22)
Lieutenant David Corwin Joshua Cox (Eps
1, 4, 6, 8, 17, 21)
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