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A Dream Given Form: The Unofficial Guide to the Universe of Babylon 5
The only comprehensive critical guide to the beloved sci-fi phenomenon
A Dream Given Form provides an accessible, comprehensive, and critical look at Babylon 5, one of the most groundbreaking series of all time. Nearly 20 years after the show ended, this indispensable companion not only covers all five seasons of Babylon 5, but also the feature-length TV movies, the spinoff series Crusade (including three non-produced episodes), The Legend of the Rangers, The Lost Tales, the canonical novels, the DC comic book series, and the short stories set in the Babylon 5 universe. Each season and text is explored thoroughly with an in-depth look at how the individual episodes, books, stories, and comics fit into larger ongoing storylines.
Carefully constructed to be enjoyed by both those who have watched the series multiple times and viewers watching for the first time, A Dream Given Form elucidates without spoiling and illuminates without nitpicking.
A Dream Given Form provides an accessible, comprehensive, and critical look at Babylon 5, one of the most groundbreaking series of all time. Nearly 20 years after the show ended, this indispensable companion not only covers all five seasons of Babylon 5, but also the feature-length TV movies, the spinoff series Crusade (including three non-produced episodes), The Legend of the Rangers, The Lost Tales, the canonical novels, the DC comic book series, and the short stories set in the Babylon 5 universe. Each season and text is explored thoroughly with an in-depth look at how the individual episodes, books, stories, and comics fit into larger ongoing storylines.
Carefully constructed to be enjoyed by both those who have watched the series multiple times and viewers watching for the first time, A Dream Given Form elucidates without spoiling and illuminates without nitpicking.
480 pages, Paperback
Published September 19, 2017
70 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
Ensley F. Guffey
5 books16 followersEnsley F. Guffey has at one time or another been a chef, waiter, bartender, bouncer, car rental agent, cardiac model, restaurant manager, gas station attendant, electronic gambling associate, and ditch-digger third class. In recent years he has become an academic late bloomer, and in a burst of energy has completed his AA, BA, and earned his MA in history, specializing in historical memory and American popular culture.
Throughout his adventures, in spite (or because) of bad livers, broken hearts, and other ailments common to the modern world, Ensley has managed to marry well, and to help raise one of the great American mutts, and two cats of indeterminate, though likely royal, lineage. He has also always been a reader, writer, and TV and film watcher par-excellence. He has presented papers at regional, national, and international academic conferences on topics ranging from the American industrialist Samuel Colt to the television show Breaking Bad, and he has published peer-reviewed scholarly essays on Babylon 5, Breaking Bad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Farscape, and Marvel's the Avengers.
With his wife, K. Dale Koontz, Ensley co-convened the Joss In June conference on the works of Joss Whedon in June 2013, and they are co-authors of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad, due to be released in May of 2014, and available for pre-order right now on Amazon and at Powell's Books! As to the future, Ensley looks forward to expanding his author page, and to spending more time in his hammock with both Dale and a pile of comic books.
Throughout his adventures, in spite (or because) of bad livers, broken hearts, and other ailments common to the modern world, Ensley has managed to marry well, and to help raise one of the great American mutts, and two cats of indeterminate, though likely royal, lineage. He has also always been a reader, writer, and TV and film watcher par-excellence. He has presented papers at regional, national, and international academic conferences on topics ranging from the American industrialist Samuel Colt to the television show Breaking Bad, and he has published peer-reviewed scholarly essays on Babylon 5, Breaking Bad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Farscape, and Marvel's the Avengers.
With his wife, K. Dale Koontz, Ensley co-convened the Joss In June conference on the works of Joss Whedon in June 2013, and they are co-authors of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad, due to be released in May of 2014, and available for pre-order right now on Amazon and at Powell's Books! As to the future, Ensley looks forward to expanding his author page, and to spending more time in his hammock with both Dale and a pile of comic books.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 12, 2017
About 18 months ago I began watching Babylon 5. It was one of those shows that had been on my to-watch list for, oh, about 20 years, and I was finally getting around to it. Why? Because I knew I was going to be editing this book and needed to watch the show to be able to do so. Reading this book while watching it for the first time was a great experiment, because I was able to watch the show on a much deeper level, given Ensley Guffey and Dale Koontz's insight into each episode. Not only that, but I was watching the show with a diehard fan who'd watched the series all the way through several times, and whenever I mentioned a tidbit of information from the book, it was usually something he didn't already know. This is a great companion guide to Babylon 5 for both the first-time viewer and the long-time fan.
March 27, 2020
Excellent book about a great series
I'm glad I found this book. As a science fiction fan, I've followed many series. I'm an original Trekkie (since 1966), a Niner (DS9 is my favorite spin off) an a lurker, a fan of B5 since the first showing of the gathering. To me, two things hurt B5. One was being on PTEN, so Warner didn't give the attention it deserved. For a while it was better treated on TNT, and I'm glad that comet shows it now. The second was pinheads constantly comparing it to Star Trek. Let's be honest, treks utopian future is nice, but unbelievable. B5 has hope, but it comes with all the warts. The book is full of valuable information on the show and the only thing keeping my rating from 5 stars is a lack of really good synopsis of each episode. This deserves to be on the shelf or kindle of any B5 fan.
I'm glad I found this book. As a science fiction fan, I've followed many series. I'm an original Trekkie (since 1966), a Niner (DS9 is my favorite spin off) an a lurker, a fan of B5 since the first showing of the gathering. To me, two things hurt B5. One was being on PTEN, so Warner didn't give the attention it deserved. For a while it was better treated on TNT, and I'm glad that comet shows it now. The second was pinheads constantly comparing it to Star Trek. Let's be honest, treks utopian future is nice, but unbelievable. B5 has hope, but it comes with all the warts. The book is full of valuable information on the show and the only thing keeping my rating from 5 stars is a lack of really good synopsis of each episode. This deserves to be on the shelf or kindle of any B5 fan.
November 6, 2020
This is a wonderful supplement to a beloved TV series. I do appreciate the item-by-item discussion of every episode, made-for-TV movie, or print tie-in including the spin-offs. It's sufficiently thorough that I miss the few omissions I imagine it could've included: an index, for instance.
Also, I really enjoyed the interview with Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), but it did give me an appetite for interviews with other cast and crew as well. Ah well. This is a great piece for any Babylon 5 fan (or nascent viewer!).
Also, I really enjoyed the interview with Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), but it did give me an appetite for interviews with other cast and crew as well. Ah well. This is a great piece for any Babylon 5 fan (or nascent viewer!).
January 4, 2019
This book is a valuable guide to the B5 universe, mainly for new converts to the cause. I found it interesting, because the book, arranged chronologically, did not "spoil" events from later in the series as it went through the episode guide.
I thought that the book could have been an interesting way to tie in references to foreshadowing throughout the series, but this did not take that path.
There were some odd typos in the book (Rifa for Refa, but only in the interview with Peter Jurasik), but nothing that was too horrible.
Overall, I'm glad I read it, and it's made me want to rewatch the series again, which is always a good thing!
I thought that the book could have been an interesting way to tie in references to foreshadowing throughout the series, but this did not take that path.
There were some odd typos in the book (Rifa for Refa, but only in the interview with Peter Jurasik), but nothing that was too horrible.
Overall, I'm glad I read it, and it's made me want to rewatch the series again, which is always a good thing!
September 14, 2017
Babylon 5 is a quirky little show. Produced two decades ago, it ran five seasons, with a few forgettable to terrible movies and an ill-fated spinoff. A couple attempts were made to extend the show with another spinoff and via direct to video, but they never caught on.
B5 was produced in an interesting time. It was (a new age) the dawn of the internet, so producer Joe Straczynski kept an open line of communication between himself and his fans, which is archived to this day on Usenet archives and the Lurker's Guide website. It was at the early days of CGI, so in lieu of minis it has somewhat primitive CGI.
And it has not aged well. Due to the vagaries of production, it will likely never receive a Blu Ray or other HD release; it’s possible but wouldn’t be worth the WB’s money. It's only viewable (at this time) in the States through the specialty streaming service go90.com. Talk erupts about film sequels or reboots long enough to stir up the passions of fans but nothing comes of them.
So of course, it needs a book.
A Dream Given Form, by K. Dale Koontz & Ensley F. Guffey, is the classic "book about a TV show" that ECW has made its bones on for much of the past decade.
Each episode of the main show and Crusade is given its own recap, as well as the movies and publications both prose and graphical. It is, if nothing else, exhaustive.
There are extras to be found, including an informative interview with Peter Jurasik, an examination of Earthforce ranks (they don’t make sense. Maybe they never did?) and a series of obituaries for departed cast members.
The thing that strikes me as odd is that the descriptions of the episodes aren’t very descriptive. The story beats don’t get summed. It’s more a TV Guide description and a discussion of various plot elements.
New readers (or, in fact, old readers who can’t remember what happened on a TV show they haven’t watched in a while) may find themselves struggling to understand what happened in a particular episode. I mean, I don’t remember what happened in Acts of Sacrifice other than the funny? sex scene.
I mean, there’s good observations to be had, and they don’t seem to fall back on readily accessible sources for observations. At no point did I think “man, I should just read the Lurker’s Guide”. It does a good job of linking pieces of the narrative to one another.
I might have liked a few pages describing some of the more amusing of non-canon things (such as the RPGs Straczynski holds in such disregard) and a review of the various rumours and suggestions that the less-promised-than-threatened feature film might someday happen. Maybe a page or two on the almost released video game.
For B5 fans, who’ve wandered in a metaphorical desert for so long, it will be a must get. As it is, it will fit nicely in my shelf between my Nikki Stafford books and my B5 Books collection.
B5 was produced in an interesting time. It was (a new age) the dawn of the internet, so producer Joe Straczynski kept an open line of communication between himself and his fans, which is archived to this day on Usenet archives and the Lurker's Guide website. It was at the early days of CGI, so in lieu of minis it has somewhat primitive CGI.
And it has not aged well. Due to the vagaries of production, it will likely never receive a Blu Ray or other HD release; it’s possible but wouldn’t be worth the WB’s money. It's only viewable (at this time) in the States through the specialty streaming service go90.com. Talk erupts about film sequels or reboots long enough to stir up the passions of fans but nothing comes of them.
So of course, it needs a book.
A Dream Given Form, by K. Dale Koontz & Ensley F. Guffey, is the classic "book about a TV show" that ECW has made its bones on for much of the past decade.
Each episode of the main show and Crusade is given its own recap, as well as the movies and publications both prose and graphical. It is, if nothing else, exhaustive.
There are extras to be found, including an informative interview with Peter Jurasik, an examination of Earthforce ranks (they don’t make sense. Maybe they never did?) and a series of obituaries for departed cast members.
The thing that strikes me as odd is that the descriptions of the episodes aren’t very descriptive. The story beats don’t get summed. It’s more a TV Guide description and a discussion of various plot elements.
New readers (or, in fact, old readers who can’t remember what happened on a TV show they haven’t watched in a while) may find themselves struggling to understand what happened in a particular episode. I mean, I don’t remember what happened in Acts of Sacrifice other than the funny? sex scene.
I mean, there’s good observations to be had, and they don’t seem to fall back on readily accessible sources for observations. At no point did I think “man, I should just read the Lurker’s Guide”. It does a good job of linking pieces of the narrative to one another.
I might have liked a few pages describing some of the more amusing of non-canon things (such as the RPGs Straczynski holds in such disregard) and a review of the various rumours and suggestions that the less-promised-than-threatened feature film might someday happen. Maybe a page or two on the almost released video game.
For B5 fans, who’ve wandered in a metaphorical desert for so long, it will be a must get. As it is, it will fit nicely in my shelf between my Nikki Stafford books and my B5 Books collection.
February 16, 2021
This was a wonderfully thoughtful, honest and comprehensive examination of Babylon 5. The authors cover every episode of Babylon 5, Crusade, the films and the Lost Tales, as well as unfilmed Crusade scripts, canon novels, comics, and short stories.
We don’t get a regurgitation of the series, assuming no one reading this book wouldn’t be quite familiar with Babylon 5. We do get a lot more detail on some of the ancillary sources not every fan would be familiar with, and that’s deeply appreciated. I read the trilogy novels twenty years ago and could barely remember some of the details, and the descriptions here brought it all back to me.
Babylon 5, like so many of the best, is about our choices, their consequences and our ability to take responsibility. The authors are fair, take the writing or production to task when it’s necessary, but in that fairness, point out that overwhelmingly this is a beautifully told work far ahead of its time and well loved by new generations of fans.
Faith managed.
We don’t get a regurgitation of the series, assuming no one reading this book wouldn’t be quite familiar with Babylon 5. We do get a lot more detail on some of the ancillary sources not every fan would be familiar with, and that’s deeply appreciated. I read the trilogy novels twenty years ago and could barely remember some of the details, and the descriptions here brought it all back to me.
Babylon 5, like so many of the best, is about our choices, their consequences and our ability to take responsibility. The authors are fair, take the writing or production to task when it’s necessary, but in that fairness, point out that overwhelmingly this is a beautifully told work far ahead of its time and well loved by new generations of fans.
Faith managed.
January 18, 2018
This was a good comprehensive overview of the series. However, it drove me crazy that the review of each episode contained very little of what actually happened in that episode. It was almost as if the authors were afraid of divulging any spoilers, which I did not understand since the show went off the air almost 20 years ago.
I would have loved to have had a section on the video game (whatever happened to it?) as well as something about the mysterious disappearance of Claudia Christian in season five. And, while we are at it, there were a number of weird dead ends in the plot (what was the point of the Great Machine?) that I really wish the authors had explored more thoroughly.
All that having been said, if you liked the series, you will like this book. The authors are at their best when examining character development and story arcs across the series.
I would have loved to have had a section on the video game (whatever happened to it?) as well as something about the mysterious disappearance of Claudia Christian in season five. And, while we are at it, there were a number of weird dead ends in the plot (what was the point of the Great Machine?) that I really wish the authors had explored more thoroughly.
All that having been said, if you liked the series, you will like this book. The authors are at their best when examining character development and story arcs across the series.
January 10, 2020
I saw this when it first came out. I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, and my father-in-law sent video tapes with this new SF show on it (the first with surround, BTW). Reading this has got me started re-watching the series on Amazon Prime with a renewed appreciation for JMS' depth. I enjoyed the series the first time for its epic vision--this book is helping me see its philosophical depth, as well.
June 29, 2021
This is a really good resource. I particularly appreciated three things:
1. the background information on real people and events that various people, ships, and such are named after,
2. the continuity errors, and
3. the summaries of the short stories in magazines, the Crusade episodes that didn't get filmed, and the few comics I can't find.
This is the only unofficial B5 book I've bought; it's not something I usually go for. It was totally worth it.
1. the background information on real people and events that various people, ships, and such are named after,
2. the continuity errors, and
3. the summaries of the short stories in magazines, the Crusade episodes that didn't get filmed, and the few comics I can't find.
This is the only unofficial B5 book I've bought; it's not something I usually go for. It was totally worth it.
October 1, 2017
'Babylon 5' was a great television series, which tried to remould how a science fiction series should work.
'A Dream Given Form' provides a decent, if not very in depth, overview of the series. Where it shines us in its analysis of the literary and historical allusions scattered throughout its episodes.
'A Dream Given Form' provides a decent, if not very in depth, overview of the series. Where it shines us in its analysis of the literary and historical allusions scattered throughout its episodes.
February 13, 2018
For fans of the 1990s science fiction series, Babylon 5, this is a must-read. The book carefully documents each episode of the series, all its subsequent films, and canonical books and comics. The fact that "A Dream Given Form" was exceptionally well-written and packed with behind-the-scenes information added to the pleasure of the reading.
October 18, 2022
This was a really great read if you a Babylon 5 fan. It not only gave synopsis of the episodes, but also include the movies, the extra films, that came after Crusade, the books, the comics. After seeing there was more to the story dealing with Sheridan and Delins son, I had to purchase that trilogy to read.
Just amazing.
Just amazing.
July 4, 2020
A great book for a great scifi series!!
The definitive accompliment for a great sci-fi series
Babylon 5 that was made in the 1990's a great informative & surprising narrative full of info & secrets not known before! A great job well done!
The definitive accompliment for a great sci-fi series
Babylon 5 that was made in the 1990's a great informative & surprising narrative full of info & secrets not known before! A great job well done!
January 27, 2020
Awesome story
For fans of Bablyon 5. This book is for you. If you are not a fan of Bablyon 5 let this book be an introduction to the show.
For fans of Bablyon 5. This book is for you. If you are not a fan of Bablyon 5 let this book be an introduction to the show.
August 9, 2020
If you’ve seen the series, this book is a fun read, though hardly a reference. It’s like a truncated transcript of two fans discussing parts of an episode that aired the night before.
April 2, 2022
If you are a fan of Babylon 5, this is a must-read. It will make you want to binge the series in tandem with the book.
August 24, 2018
I won this book a while back as a Goodreads giveaway. I figured I'd save it for when I started binge watching the series again, which I have started doing.
My initial reactions to the book is that it is great for analyzing the story arcs that occur in the series. There is lots of information there for both the casual viewer as well as the hardcore fan. There is also lots of inside information that you wouldn't otherwise get.
I'm going to preface my first complaint about the book simply. Yes, in a non-fiction book, information and accuracy are key. BUT, anyone that tells you that formatting isn't important is wrong. I have three words on formatting for this book. Widows and orphans, my friends. Widows and orphans... Okay, yes, this book is already pretty substantial, at just a whisker under 500 pages, but it's annoying as all hell when the lead-up to the episode is on one page, and then the episode information on the next. This is akin to having a title or major header on one page, and then the proceeding paragraphs about it on the next. It's a faux pas that should never have made it past the layout editor.
I'm at about the midway point in season 2 now, and while this book does a fairly decent job at identifying all the hat-tips and references to other sci-fi legends, I finally found one that was COMPLETELY missed. At the end of Season 2, Episode 13, where the doctor was taken aboard Kosh's ship, he came off and said that the ship sang to him, a blatant homage to the great Anne McCaffrey and her book The Ship Who Sang... Now I gotta go back and reread that book.
I'm almost done... It's taken months, mostly because Babylon 5 isn't that interesting a show for me, for I'm only able to watch about a dozen episodes a week without going nuts. I've finally made it into the Babylon 5: Crusade portion of the book, and maybe the episodes I got were reordered (or just mislabeled), but there's all kinds of errors in the book. First off, Episode 1.07 is in two places in the book, and 3 others are incorrectly numbered. I guess the fact checking stopped this late into the book.
My initial reactions to the book is that it is great for analyzing the story arcs that occur in the series. There is lots of information there for both the casual viewer as well as the hardcore fan. There is also lots of inside information that you wouldn't otherwise get.
I'm going to preface my first complaint about the book simply. Yes, in a non-fiction book, information and accuracy are key. BUT, anyone that tells you that formatting isn't important is wrong. I have three words on formatting for this book. Widows and orphans, my friends. Widows and orphans... Okay, yes, this book is already pretty substantial, at just a whisker under 500 pages, but it's annoying as all hell when the lead-up to the episode is on one page, and then the episode information on the next. This is akin to having a title or major header on one page, and then the proceeding paragraphs about it on the next. It's a faux pas that should never have made it past the layout editor.
I'm at about the midway point in season 2 now, and while this book does a fairly decent job at identifying all the hat-tips and references to other sci-fi legends, I finally found one that was COMPLETELY missed. At the end of Season 2, Episode 13, where the doctor was taken aboard Kosh's ship, he came off and said that the ship sang to him, a blatant homage to the great Anne McCaffrey and her book The Ship Who Sang... Now I gotta go back and reread that book.
I'm almost done... It's taken months, mostly because Babylon 5 isn't that interesting a show for me, for I'm only able to watch about a dozen episodes a week without going nuts. I've finally made it into the Babylon 5: Crusade portion of the book, and maybe the episodes I got were reordered (or just mislabeled), but there's all kinds of errors in the book. First off, Episode 1.07 is in two places in the book, and 3 others are incorrectly numbered. I guess the fact checking stopped this late into the book.
December 14, 2017
This is an amazing resource for B5 fans! I thought I knew almost all there was to know about the show, but I learned a lot here. Well done.
May 31, 2018
An informative and entertaining behind the scenes look at the wonderful Babylon 5 universe.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews