Creating Babylon 5

Babylon 5: Nonfiction books

by David Bassom

The year is 2258, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. In an effort to prevent further bloodshed the Earth Alliance created the Babylon project. Positioned in a key sector of the galaxy, the Babylon 5 space station serves as a space-born port-of-call for diplomats, traders, hustlers, and travelers. Its to exist as a natural place where humans and aliens can work out their differences peacefully. Yet in reality the station is a focus of tension, malice, and intrigue--with all the wondrous excesses of a galactic cultural melting-pot.

In Creating BABYLON 5 author David Bassom takes an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the seminal series. From plot development to the show's ground-breaking special effects methods, Bassom covers all aspects of Babylon 5's production. Interviews with all the main cast and key production crew combine with page after page of stunning photography and essential details about the Babylon 5 universe. Creating BABYLON 5 is the only book to chart the birth and creation of the science fiction phenomenon of the decade.

Genres: Science Fiction, Babylon 5, Reference, Tv, Media Tie In

141 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1996

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fun nostalgic read but it is limited - this book was written and released roughly mid way through the series and the run. As such some of the story arc's have not been revealed or properly fleshed out which is what you would expect for a series that was still evolving like the pioneering special effects it used in such abundance.

The book however is a fun and colourful trip around the show, the production and the cast and crew and even though most of the information it shared is pretty common knowledge now (no lesser thanks to the internet I guess) it is still a great read and I to be honest on a personal level reminds me how much I enjoyed and miss the show. I guess as one commentator said - there was nothing like it and there probably won't be ever again - since this show really introduced us to the series (and longer) spanning story arc where everything else was a side show to the main event.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written during the middle of Season 3, Creating Babylon 5 is an interesting, if hagiographic take on the show, and the work of the effects departments, actors, and above all JMS' vision and organizational talents. There's nothing here that hardcore fans won't already know 20 years after the series ended, but this book is a pleasant journey back in time, with a few interesting tidbits.

[Jean Wetmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was decent. Cutesy but unlike the series it lacked depth. I did notice an error, about why Micheal O'Hare (Sinclair) was dismissed from the show. But it may have been that the author believed that what he was saying was true. It was stated that jms wanted to go a different direction with the captain and that was why O'Hare was dismissed. The real reason O'Hare was dismissed was because he was suffering from paranoid delusions. JMS however made promise to O'Hare not to reveal this until O'Hare's death (so as not to adversely affect the actor's career.), a promise that jms kept. He did not reveal O'Hare's mental illness to fans or the public until after jms died.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mid-run look at Babylon 5 that was well worth the read though, through no fault of the author, feels incomplete having been written prior to the third season. As with many such books, it at times felt like a one hundred forty one page commercial and has some over the top descriptions of the creator, cast and crew. Still, a diverting read and contains some tidbits for the trivia nut in me.

[Mike Aragona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book was created during the early stages of Season 3, it is still filled with enough goodies and cast/crew interactions/ dialogues to keep me entertained.[return][return]Although there were only a few minor things I was not already aware of, reading through this book was an absolute joy as I reveled in the memories of the series as a whole and individual episodes as they came up.[return][return]It really put me in the mood to get all the disks out of my DVD tower and back into rotation!