Editing Babylon 5 (section)

== Production ==

=== Origin ===
Having worked on a number of television science fiction shows which had regularly gone over budget, Straczynski concluded that a lack of long-term planning was to blame, and set about looking at ways in which a series could be done responsibly. Taking note of the lessons of mainstream television, which brought stories to a centralized location such as a hospital, police station, or law office, he decided that instead of "[going] in search of new worlds, building them anew each week", a fixed space station setting would keep costs at a reasonable level. A fan of sagas such as the [[Foundation (book series)|''Foundation'' series]], ''[[Childhood's End]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[Dune (franchise)|Dune]]'' and the [[Lensman series|''Lensman'' series]], Straczynski wondered why no one had done a television series with the same epic sweep, and concurrently with the first idea started developing the concept for a vastly ambitious epic covering massive battles and other universe-changing events. Realizing that both the fixed-locale series and the epic could be done in a single series, he began to sketch the initial outline of what would become ''Babylon 5''.<ref name="GEnie-1992">{{cite web<!-- Archive URL date taken from page metadata, main URL date taken is the one used for the entire document -->|url=http://www.midwinter.com/b5/GEnie/jms92-04|title=Babylon 5 (GEnie) posts by JMS for April, 1992|last=Straczynski|first=J. Michael|author-link=J. Michael Straczynski|date=April 1992|work=[[The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5]]|publisher=Steven Grimm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817234058/http://www.midwinter.com/b5/GEnie/jms92-04|archive-date=August 17, 2000|access-date=October 19, 2009|quote=I *love* sagas, and B5 will present a chance to tell that kind of saga. ... But this is hardly revelation; the world of SF print has been doing this now ever since the Lensman books. The job now is translating that approach to television...}} Alt URL http://mirrors.ntua.gr/b5/GEnie/jms92-04 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061203060703/http://mirrors.ntua.gr/b5/GEnie/jms92-04 |date=December 3, 2006 }}<!-- original {{cite web |url=http://mirrors.ntua.gr/b5/GEnie/jms92-04 |title=[[GEnie]] posts by JMS for April, 1992 |access-date=August 18, 2006}} --></ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16576 |title=Re: ATTN JMS: Why Accelerate t |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=January 25, 1995 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028181548/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16576 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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| quote = Once I had the locale, I began to populate it with characters, and sketch out directions that might be interesting. I dragged out my notes on religion, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, science (the ones that didn't make my head explode), and started stitching together a crazy quilt pattern that eventually formed a picture. Once I had that picture in my head, once I knew what the major theme was, the rest fell into place. All at once, I saw the full five-year story in a flash, and I frantically began scribbling down notes.
| source = —J. Michael Straczynski, 1995<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16576 |title=Re: ATTN JMS: Why Accelerate t |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=January 25, 1995 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028181548/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16576 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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Straczynski set five goals for ''Babylon 5''. He said that the show "would have to be good science fiction". It would also have to be good television, "and rarely are SF shows both good SF *and* good TV; there're {{sic}} generally one or the other." It would have to do for science fiction television what ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'' had done for [[police drama]]s, by taking an adult approach to the subject. It would have to be reasonably budgeted, and "it would have to look unlike anything ever seen before on TV, presenting individual stories against a much broader canvas." He further stressed that his approach was "to take [science fiction] seriously, to build characters for grown-ups, to incorporate real science but keep the characters at the center of the story."<ref name="io9 evolution">{{cite web |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-strange-secret-evolution-of-babylon-5-5985727 |title=The Strange, Secret Evolution of Babylon 5 |last=Shankel |first=Jason |date=February 21, 2013 |work=[[io9]] |access-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224162258/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-strange-secret-evolution-of-babylon-5-5985727 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GEnie-1991">{{cite web<!-- Note: The Google Cache archive for this cite has been removed because it is a dead link. Google Cache is not an archive; it's a cache. -->|url=http://ftp.midwinter.com/b5/GEnie/jms92-01|title=Babylon 5 (GEnie) posts by JMS for November 1991 through Jan, 1992 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |author-link=J. Michael Straczynski |date=November 1991|work=[[The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5]]|publisher=Steven Grimm|access-date=October 20, 2009|quote=For years, at conventions, I have heard fans lament, and even sat in on panels entitled WHY CAN'T THEY GET IT RIGHT?}} Alt URL http://mirrors.ntua.gr/b5/GEnie/jms92-01 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718110902/http://mirrors.ntua.gr/b5/GEnie/jms92-01 |date=July 18, 2011 }}<!-- original {{cite web |url=http://ftp.midwinter.com/b5/GEnie/jms92-01 |title=Babylon 5 posts by JMS for November 1991 through Jan, 1992 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |author-link=J. Michael Straczynski |year=1992 |access-date=July 19, 2007 |archive-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209180134/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:s4lsbb_HEiMJ:www.midwinter.com/b5/GEnie/jms92-01+%22It+would+have+to+be+good+TELEVISION%22&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us |url-status=dead}} --></ref> Some of the staples of television science fiction were also out of the question (the show would have "no kids or cute robots").<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=21376 |title=Well, lemme comment on that. One... |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=December 5, 1991 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |quote=How they want solid characters, imaginative stories, no kids or cute robots, using science the way it should be used, not talking down to the audience. That desire has been noted. |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028172016/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=21376 |url-status=live }}</ref> The idea was not to present a perfect utopian future, but one with greed and homelessness; one where characters grow, develop, live, and die; one where not everything was the same at the end of the day's events. Citing [[Mark Twain]] as an influence, Straczynski said he wanted the show to be a mirror to the real world and to covertly teach.<ref name="GEnie-1992"/>

Following production on ''[[Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future]]'', Straczynski approached John Copeland and Doug Netter, who had also been involved with ''Captain Power'' and showed him the [[Bible (screenwriting)|bible]] and pilot script for his show, and both were impressed with his ideas.<ref name="sonq">{{cite web |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/an-oral-history-of-babylon-5-the-beloved-tv-novel-that-showed-a-different-way-to-tell-sci |title=An Oral History Of Babylon 5: The Beloved Tv Novel That Showed A Different Way To Tell Sci-fi |first=Lisa |last=Granshaw |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=August 31, 2018 |work=[[Syfy Wire]] |archive-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219224411/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/an-oral-history-of-babylon-5-the-beloved-tv-novel-that-showed-a-different-way-to-tell-sci |url-status=live }}</ref> They were able to secure an order for the pilot from [[Warner Bros.]] who were looking at the time to get programming for a planned broadcast network. Warner Bros. had remained skeptical about the show even after greenlighting the pilot. According to Straczynski, Warner Bros. had three main concerns: that American attention spans were too short for a series-long narrative to work, that it would be difficult to sell the show into [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] as the syndicate networks would air the episodes out of order, and that no other science-fiction television show outside of ''Star Trek'' had gone more than three seasons before being canceled.<ref name="newsarama 2019">{{cite web |url=https://www.newsarama.com/44664-jms-revisits-babylon-5-on-show-s-25th-anniversary.html |title=JMS Revisits BABYLON 5 On Show's 25th Anniversary |first=Jonathan |last=Encarnacion |date=April 8, 2019 |access-date=April 12, 2019 |work=[[Newsarama]] |archive-date=July 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703182030/https://www.newsarama.com/44664-jms-revisits-babylon-5-on-show-s-25th-anniversary.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Straczynski had proved out that the syndication fear was incorrect, since syndicate stations told him they show their shows in episode order to track broadcasts for royalties; however, he could not assure Warner Bros. about the attention span or premature cancellation concerns, but still set out to show Warner Bros. they were wrong.<ref name="newsarama 2019"/>

=== Writing ===
Straczynski wrote 92 of the 110 episodes of ''Babylon 5'', including all 44 episodes in the third and fourth seasons,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 |title=Writers/Directors list (JMS entry) |url=http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/write-direct.html#JMichaelStraczynski |access-date=November 8, 2007 |archive-date=March 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306060639/http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/write-direct.html#JMichaelStraczynski |url-status=live }}</ref> a feat never before accomplished in American television.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=13039 |title=Re: ATTN: JMS I heard that with you writing the entire season, you will be the 1st in tv history? |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=April 22, 1996 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028180357/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=13039 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other writers to have contributed scripts to the show include [[Peter David]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Kathryn M. Drennan]], [[Larry DiTillio|Lawrence G. DiTillio]], [[D. C. Fontana]], and [[David Gerrold]]. [[Harlan Ellison]], a creative consultant on the show, received story credits for two episodes.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 |title=Writers/Directors list |url=http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/write-direct.html#write |access-date=November 8, 2007 |archive-date=March 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306060639/http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/write-direct.html#write |url-status=live }}</ref> Each writer was informed of the overarching storyline, enabling the show to be produced consistently under-budget. The rules of production were strict; scripts were written six episodes in advance, and changes could not be made once production had started.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://tech.mit.edu/V118/N24/discuss.24n.html |title=Straczynski, Jablokov Discuss Television, The Future |author=Brett Altschul |work=[[The Tech (newspaper)|The Tech]] |date=May 5, 1998 |access-date=December 13, 2007 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915233342/http://tech.mit.edu/V118/N24/discuss.24n.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

With not all cast members being hired for every episode of a season, the five-year plot length caused some planning difficulties. If a critical scene involving an actor not hired for every episode had to be moved, that actor had to be paid for work on an extra episode.<ref name="newsarama 2019"/> It was sometimes necessary to adjust the plotline to accommodate external influences, an example being the "trap door" that was written for every character: in the event of that actor's unexpected departure from the series, the character could be written out with minimal impact on the storyline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/misc/cc-leave.html |title=JMS on Claudia Christian's departure |access-date=November 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019022537/http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/misc/cc-leave.html |archive-date=October 19, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref> Straczynski stated, "As a writer, doing a long-term story, it'd be dangerous and short-sighted for me to construct the story without trap doors for every single character. ... That was one of the big risks going into a long-term storyline which I considered long in advance;..."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=13003 |title=Re: ATTN: JMS Changes in the Story due to Actors |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=April 24, 1996 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224173745/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=13003 |url-status=live }}</ref> This device was eventually used to facilitate the departures of Claudia Christian and Andrea Thompson from the series.

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| quote = First thing I did was to flip out the stand-alones, which traditionally have taken up the first 6 or so episodes of each season; between two years, that's 12 episodes, over half a season right there. Then you would usually get a fair number of additional stand-alones scattered across the course of the season. So figure another 3–4 per season, say 8, that's 20 out of 44. So now you're left with basically 24 episodes to fill out the main arc of the story.
| source = —J. Michael Straczynski, 1996<ref name="writing">{{cite web |title=From jms re: yr 4/5 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=December 18, 1996 |publisher=Midnight Design Productions, LLC |url=http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=10251 |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026130923/http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=10251 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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Straczynski purposely went light on elements of the five-year narrative during the first season as he felt the audience would not be ready for the full narrative at that time, but he still managed to drop in some scenes that would be critical to the future narrative. This also made it challenging for the actors to understand their motivations without knowing where their characters were going; Straczynski said "I didn't want to tell them too much, because that risks having them play the result, rather than the process."<ref name="newsarama 2019"/> He recalled that Peter Jurasik had asked him about the context of Londo's premonition, shown partially in "[[List of Babylon 5 episodes#ep1|Midnight on the Firing Line]]", of himself and G'Kar choking each other to death, but Straczynski had to be coy about it.<ref name="newsarama 2019"/> The full death scene was shown in context in "[[List of Babylon 5 episodes#ep61|War Without End - Part 2]]" near the end of the third season.

During production of the fourth season, the [[Prime Time Entertainment Network]], which Warner Bros. opted to use for ''Babylon 5'', was shut down, leaving the planned fifth season in doubt. Unwilling to short-change fans of the show, Straczynski began preparing modifications to the fourth season that would allow him to conclude his overall arc should a fifth season not be greenlit, which ultimately became the direction the fourth season took. Straczynski identified three primary [[narrative thread]]s which would require resolution: the Shadow war, Earth's slide into a dictatorship, and a series of sub-threads which branched off from those. Estimating they would still take around 27 episodes to resolve without having the season feel rushed, the solution came when the [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]] network commissioned two ''Babylon 5'' television films. Several hours of material was thus able to be moved into the films, including a three-episode arc which would deal with the background to the [[Earth–Minbari War]], and a sub-thread which would have set up the sequel series, ''Crusade''. Further standalone episodes and plot-threads were dropped from season four, which could be inserted into ''Crusade'', or the fifth season, were it to be given the [[greenlight]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jmsnews.com/Messages/Message?id=10251 |title=Year 4/5 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=December 18, 1996 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026130923/http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=10251 |url-status=live }}</ref> The intended series finale, "[[Sleeping in Light]]", was filmed during season four as a precaution against cancellation. When word came that TNT had picked up ''Babylon 5'', this was moved to the end of season five and replaced with a newly filmed season four finale, "[[The Deconstruction of Falling Stars]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=How will this play out |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |author-link=J. Michael Straczynski |date=May 21, 1997 |publisher=Midnight Design Productions, LLC |url=http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=9221 |access-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026122726/http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=9221 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Costume ===
Ann Bruice Aling was costume designer for the show, after [[production designer]] John Iacovelli suggested her for the position, having previously worked with her on a number of film and theatrical productions.<ref name="Iacovelli3">{{cite AV media |title=Designing Tomorrow: The Look of Babylon 5 |year=2003 |people=Iacovelli, John |publisher=Warner Bros. Entertainment |medium=DVD Featurette - Babylon 5, Season 3 Box Set}}</ref>

With the variety of costumes required she compared ''Babylon 5'' to "eclectic theatre", with fewer rules about period, line, shape and textures having to be adhered to.<ref name="Bruice2">{{cite web |url=http://www.midwinter.com/b5/America-Online/bruice-iacovelli.txt |title=Behind the Scenes Interview with Ann Bruice Aling and John Iacovelli |last=Bruice Aling |first= Ann |date=October 15, 1995 |website=The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 |publisher=OMNI Online, Archived on Midwinter.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120095916/http://www.midwinter.com/b5/America-Online/bruice-iacovelli.txt |archive-date=November 20, 2012|url-status=dead |access-date=February 8, 2019}}</ref> Preferring natural materials whenever possible, such as [[ostrich leather]] in the [[Narn]] body armor, Bruice combined and layered fabrics as diverse as rayon and silk with [[brocade]]s from the 1930s and '40s to give the clothing the appearance of having evolved within different cultures.<ref name="Bruice1">{{cite web |title=Online Chat Transcripts: Ann Bruice Aling and Kim Holly |last=Bruice Aling |first= Ann |date=May 21, 1998 |url=http://www.harrellnews.org/babylon5/transcripts/annbruicealingchat.html |publisher=Official B5 Fan Club |access-date=December 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426080858/http://www.harrellnews.org/babylon5/transcripts/annbruicealingchat.html |archive-date=April 26, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Kim1">{{cite news |title=Interview with Kim Holly, Babylon Podcast #45 |last=Holly |first=Kim |date=December 13, 2006 |url=http://www.babylonpodcast.com/2006/12/13/babylon-podcast-show-45/ |newspaper=The Babylon Podcast |access-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122161037/https://www.babylonpodcast.com/2006/12/13/babylon-podcast-show-45/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Quote box |quote=Often we try to coordinate the sensibilities of the aliens. I try to work with Optic Nerve to ensure that the head meets the body in some sensible way. We talk about similar qualities, textures and colors and the flow of the total being. Truthfully, often the look of the prosthetic comes somewhat earlier and from that I have an understanding of what direction to go. |source=— Ann Bruice Aling, 1995<ref name="Bruice2"/>|align=right |width=40% |salign=right}}With an interest in costume history, she initially worked closely with Straczynski to get a sense of the historical perspective of the major alien races, "so I knew if they were a peaceful people or a warring people, cold climate etc. and then I would interpret what kind of sensibility that called for."<ref name="Bruice1"/> Collaborating with other departments to establish co-ordinated visual themes for each race, a broad palette of colors was developed with Iacovelli, which he referred to as "spicy brights".<ref name="Iacovelli1">{{cite video |people=Iacovelli, John (Production Designer) |date=August 17, 2004 |title=Babylon 5: The Movie Collection, Disc 5 Extras: "Creating the Future" |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105946/dvd#B0002B15UQ |medium=DVD |publisher=Warner Home Video |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209101353/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105946/dvd#B0002B15UQ |archive-date=February 9, 2006 |access-date=December 6, 2009 |id={{UPC|085393343729}}|isbn=0-7907-9132-3}} Alt URL http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56388948 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722064626/https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56388948 |date=July 22, 2020 }}<!-- original cite: Babylon 5: The Movie Collection, disc 5, "Creating the Future". --></ref> These warm shades of gray and secondary colors, such as certain blues for the [[Minbari]], would often be included when designing both the costumes and relevant sets. As the main characters evolved, Bruice referred back to Straczynski and producer John Copeland who she viewed as "surprisingly more accessible to me as advisors than other producers and directors", so the costumes could reflect these changes. Ambassador [[Londo Mollari]]'s purple coat became dark blue and more tailored while his waistcoats became less patterned and brightly colored as Bruice felt "Londo has evolved in my mind from a buffoonish character to one who has become more serious and darker."<ref name="Bruice2"/>

Normally there were three changes of costume for the primary actors; one for on set, one for the stunt double and one on standby in case of "coffee spills". For human civilians, garments were generally purchased [[Ready-to-wear|off-the-rack]] and altered in various ways, such as removing lapels from jackets and shirts while rearranging [[Hook-and-eye closure|closures]], to suggest future fashions. For some of the main female characters a more [[Haute couture|couture]] approach was taken, as in the suits worn by [[Talia Winters]], which Bruice described as being designed and fitted to within "an inch of their life". Costumes for the destitute residents of downbelow would be distressed through a combination of bleaching, sanding, dipping in dye baths and having stage blood added.<ref name="Bruice1"/>

Like many of the crew on the show, members of the costume department made onscreen [[Cameo appearance|cameos]]. During the season 4 episode "[[Atonement (Babylon 5)|Atonement]]", the tailors and costume supervisor appeared as the Minbari women fitting [[Zack Allan]] for his new uniform as the recently promoted head of security. His complaints, and the subsequent stabbing of him with a needle by costume supervisor Kim Holly, was a light-hearted reference to the previous security uniforms, a design carried over from the pilot movie, which was difficult to work with and wear due to the combination of leather and wool.<ref name="Kim1"/>

=== Prosthetic makeup and animatronics ===
While the original pilot film featured some [[Extraterrestrial life|aliens]] which were puppets and [[animatronics]], the decision was made early on in the show's production to portray most alien species as [[humanoid]] in appearance. Barring isolated appearances, fully [[Computer-generated imagery|computer-generated]] aliens were discounted as an idea due to the "massive [[rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]] power" required. Long-term use of puppets and animatronics was also discounted, as Straczynski believed they would not be able to convey "real emotion" without an actor inside.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=17581 |title=Alien looking aliens |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=September 6, 1994 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028173208/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=17581 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Visuals ===
{{See also|Babylon 5#Mastering problems}}
In anticipation of the emerging [[HDTV]] standard, rather than the usual [[4:3]] format, the series was shot in [[16:9]], with the image cropped to 4:3 for initial television transmissions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=20076 |title=We are shooting in 16:9 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=September 22, 1993 |publisher=Midnight Design Productions, LLC |access-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111170407/http://www.jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=20076 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was one of the first television shows to use computer technology in creating [[visual effects]], rather than models and miniatures, primarily out of budgetary concerns; Straczynski estimated that each of their episodes cost {{USD|650,000}} to make, compared to the {{USD|1.5 million}} cost of each episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''.<ref name="newsarama 2019"/> The visual effects were achieved using [[Amiga]]-based [[Video Toaster]]s at first, and later [[Pentium compatible processor|Pentium]], [[Macintosh]], and [[DEC Alpha|Alpha]]-based systems using [[LightWave 3D]].<ref>{{cite web |date=18 January 1993 |author=Variety Staff |title=TV f/x take cue from movies |url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/tv-f-x-take-cue-from-movies-103031/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |quote=computer-generated under the supervision of Ron Thornton |access-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430193931/https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/tv-f-x-take-cue-from-movies-103031/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/effects.html |title=Babylon 5 Behind the Scenes: The Effects |date=August 12, 1997 |work=The Lurker's Guide To Babylon 5 |access-date=February 8, 2019 |archive-date=September 6, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906094508/http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/effects.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The effects sequences were designed to simulate [[Newtonian physics]], with particular emphasis on the effects of inertia on the motion of spacecraft.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=20155 |title=Re: Physics of Babylon 5 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=September 10, 1993 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028170256/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=20155 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Foundation Imaging]] provided the special effects for the pilot film (for which it won an Emmy) and the first three seasons of the show, led by [[Ron Thornton (visual effects designer)|Ron Thornton]]. After co-executive producer Douglas Netter and producer John Copeland approached Straczynski with the idea of producing the effects in-house, Straczynski agreed to replace Foundation, for season 4 and 5, once a new team had been established by [[Netter Digital]], and an equal level of quality was assured,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.babylonpodcast.com/tag/jms/ |title=Babylon Podcast #161: Interview with JMS, Part 1 |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |author-link=J. Michael Straczynski |date=June 16, 2009 |publisher=Babylon Podcast |access-date=November 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091109005352/http://www.babylonpodcast.com/tag/jms/ |archive-date=November 9, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> by using similar technology and a number of former Foundation employees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=11343 |title=Re: ATTN JMS: Foundation Imaging Collapse - Sinking into the sand? |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=September 11, 1996 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028165514/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=11343 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Emmy-winning alien make-up was provided by Optic Nerve Studios.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://makeupmag.com/optic-nerve-co-founder-john-vulich-dead-55/ |title=Optic Nerve Co-Founder John Vulich Dead at 55 |last=Nazzarro |first=Joe |date=October 17, 2016 |website=Make-Up Artist Magazine |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024091346/https://makeupmag.com/optic-nerve-co-founder-john-vulich-dead-55/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Music and scoring ===
{{Infobox album
| name         = Sleeping in Light
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = [[Christopher Franke]]
| cover        = B5SleepLightCover.gif
| alt          =
| released     = {{Start date|1999|03|23}}
| recorded     =
| venue        =
| studio       =
| genre        = [[European classical music|Classical]], [[Electroacoustic music|Electroacoustic]]
| length       = 25:01
| label        = Sonic Images
| producer     =
| prev_title   =
| prev_year    =
| next_title   =
| next_year    =
}}

{{Music ratings
|rev1     = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score= {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AllMusic1">{{cite web |title=Babylon 5: Sleeping in Light (Television Soundtrack) |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/babylon-5-sleeping-in-light-television-soundtrack-r400716 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818015315/https://www.allmusic.com/album/babylon-5-sleeping-in-light-original-tv-soundtrack-mw0000664009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
[[Christopher Franke]] [[Musical composition|composed]] and [[Sheet music|scored]] the musical soundtrack for all five years of the show when [[Stewart Copeland]], who worked on the original telefilm, was unable to return for the first season due to recording and touring commitments.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=19189 |title=Music change from Gathering to |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=February 8, 1994 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028174040/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=19189 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Initially concerned composing for an episodic television show could become "annoying because of the repetition", Franke found the evolving characters and story of ''Babylon 5'' afforded him the opportunity to continually take new directions.<ref name="ChrisFranke1" /><ref name="ChrisFranke2" /> Given creative freedom by the producers, Franke also [[Orchestration#Film orchestration|orchestrated]] and [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixed]] all the music, which one reviewer described as having "added another dimension of mystery, suspense, and excitement to the show, with an easily distinguishable character that separates 'Babylon 5 from other sci-fi television entries of the era."<ref name="ChrisFranke1">{{cite AV media |title=Celestial Sounds |year=2003 |people=Franke, Christopher |type=DVD Featurette - Babylon 5, Season 4 Box Set |publisher=Warner Bros. Entertainment }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Babylon 5: Messages from Earth |author=Editorial Review |date=July 7, 1999 |url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/b5_messages.html |publisher=[[Filmtracks.com]] |access-date=December 27, 2011 |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128134056/https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/b5_messages.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

With his recording studio in the same building as his home located in the [[Hollywood Hills]], Franke would attend creative meetings before scoring the 25 minutes or so of music for each episode.<ref name="ChrisFranke1" /> Using the "acoustic dirt produced by live instruments and the ability to play so well between two semitones" and the "frequency range, dynamics and control" provided by synthesizers, he described his approach "as experimental friendly as possible without leaving the happy marriage between the orchestral and electronic sounds".<ref name="ChrisFranke2" />

Using [[Steinberg Cubase|Cubase]] software through an [[electronic keyboard]], or for more complex pieces a [[light pen]] and [[graphics tablet]], he would begin by developing the [[Melody|melodic]] content round which the [[Ambient music|ambient]] components and [[Transition (music)|transitions]] were added. Using playbacks with digital [[Sampling (music)|samples]] of the appropriate instruments, such as a group of violins, he would decide which tracks to produce electronically or record [[Acoustic music|acoustically]].<ref name="ChrisFranke1" /><ref name="ChrisFranke2">{{cite web |title=Babylon 5: Messages From Earth – The Interview |last=Franke |first=Christopher |date=April 23, 1995 |url=http://christopherfranke.com/interview.html |publisher=Rudy Koppl (interviewer) |access-date=January 3, 2012 |archive-date=February 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205123434/http://christopherfranke.com/interview.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Scores for the acoustic tracks were emailed to his Berlin scoring stage, and would require from four musicians to the full orchestra, with a maximum of 24 present at any one time. One of three conductors would also be required for any score that involved more than six musicians. Franke would direct recording sessions via six fiber optic digital telephone lines to transmit and receive video, music and the [[SMPTE timecode]]. The final edit and mixing of the tracks would take place in his Los Angeles studio.

A total of 24 episode and three television film soundtracks were released under Franke's record label, Sonic Images Records, between 1995 and 2001. These contain the musical scores in the same chronological order as they played in the corresponding episodes, or television films. Three compilation albums were also produced, containing extensively re-orchestrated and remixed musical passages taken from throughout the series to create more elaborate suites. In 2007 his soundtrack for [[Babylon 5: The Lost Tales|The Lost Tales]] was released under the [[Varèse Sarabande]] record label.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width=70%
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:left; border: 0"|'''Music CD Releases'''
|-
! style="text-align:left"| Episodic Soundtracks || Tracks || Running Time || Release Date || Catalog No.
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Severed Dreams || 5 || 33:15 || September 16, 1997 || SID-0310
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | A Late Delivery From Avalon || 6 || 26:37 || September 16, 1997 || SID-0312
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Walkabout || 6 || 28:58 || September 16, 1997 || SID-0318
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Shadow Dancing || 6 || 33:50|| September 16, 1997 || SID-0321
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Z'Ha'Dum || 6 || 36:23|| September 16, 1997 || SID-0322
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Fall of Night || 6 || 22:45|| April 14, 1998 || SID-0222
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Interludes and Examinations || 6 || 30:14|| April 14, 1998 || SID-0315
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Into The Fire || 6 || 35:05|| April 14, 1998 || SID-0406
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | No Surrender, No Retreat || 6 || 30:53|| April 14, 1998 || SID-0415
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Face of the Enemy || 6 || 32:20|| April 14, 1998 || SID-0417
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Ragged Edge || 6 || 22:42|| April 14, 1998 || SID-0513
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Chrysalis || 6 || 24:51|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0112
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Coming of Shadows || 6 || 26:00|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0209
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | War Without End, Part 1 || 6 || 32:04|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0316
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | War Without End, Part 2 || 6 || 32:41|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0317
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Whatever Happened To Mr. Garibaldi || 6 || 28:41|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0402
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Long Night || 6 || 24:32|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0405
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Lines of Communication || 6 || 31:44|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0411
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Endgame || 6 || 35:25|| August 11, 1998 || SID-0420
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Falling Toward Apotheosis || 6 || 23:03|| February 16, 1999 || SID-0404
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Darkness Ascending || 6 || 32:41|| February 16, 1999 || SID-0516
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Objects at Rest || 6 || 27:52|| February 16, 1999 || SID-0522
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Sleeping in Light || 6 || 24:40|| February 16, 1999 || SID-0523
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place || 6 || 27:59|| January 9, 2001 || SID-0320
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:left; border: 0"|'''Movie Soundtracks'''
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | In The Beginning || 6 || 57:12|| August 11, 1998 || SID-8812
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Thirdspace || 5 || 59:22|| January 12, 1999 || SID-8900
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The River of Souls || 6 || 49:55 || May 18, 1999 || SID-8907
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Lost Tales (released by [[Varèse Sarabande]])|| 28 || 39:39 || July 24, 2007 || VSD-6829
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:left; border: 0"|'''Extended Compilations'''
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Babylon 5 Vol.1 – Babylon 5 Suites || 6 || 58:03 || April 11, 1995 || SID-6502
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | Babylon 5 Vol.2 – Messages from Earth || 6 || 57:03|| February 11, 1997 || SID-6602
|-
| align="left" style="padding-left: 1em" | The Best of Babylon 5 || 6 || 50:02|| January 9, 2001 || SID-8931
|}

=== Broadcast history ===
Warner Bros. slotted the show to premiere on its nascent [[Prime Time Entertainment Network]] (PTEN). As original content from another studio, it was somewhat anomalous in a stable of syndicated content from Warner Bros. and the cause of some friction between Straczynski's company and Warner Bros.<ref name="newsarama 2019" />

The pilot film, [[Babylon 5: The Gathering|''The Gathering'']], premiered on February 22, 1993, with strong viewing figures, achieving a 9.7 in the [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] national syndication rankings.<ref name="benson">{{cite magazine |author=Jim Benson |date=May 28, 1993 |title=Warner weblet to 2-night sked |url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/warner-weblet-to-2-night-sked-107288/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114130149/http://www.variety.com/article/VR107288.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=November 14, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=September 8, 2020 }}</ref> The regular series initially aired from January 26, 1994 through November 25, 1998,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/eplist.html |title=Original US airdates at Lurker's Guide|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825175544/http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/eplist.html |archive-date=August 25, 2007 |access-date=August 22, 2007}}</ref> first on PTEN, then in [[Broadcast syndication#First-run syndication in the U.S.|first-run syndication]], debuting with a 6.8 rating/10 share. Figures dipped in its second week, and while it posted a solid 5.0 rating/8 share, with an increase in several major markets,<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Joe Flint |date=February 9, 1994 |title='Babylon 5' slips a bit in second week |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/babylon-5-slips-a-bit-in-second-week-118151/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202224847/http://www.variety.com/article/VR118151.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=December 2, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=September 8, 2020 }}</ref> ratings for the first season continued to fall, to a low of 3.4 during [[rerun]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/sun-and-hoops-sink-syndies-rout-rush-120389/ |title=Sun and hoops sink syndies, rout 'Rush' - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety |date=July 22, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722232531/https://variety.com/article/VR120389.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=July 22, 2009|access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> Ratings remained low-to-middling throughout the first four seasons,<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Andrew Hindes |date=February 13, 1997 |title=U's 'Xena' |url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/u-s-xena-1117435926/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202225051/http://www.variety.com/vstory/VR1117435926.html?categoryid=38&cs= |archive-date=December 2, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=September 8, 2020 }}</ref> but ''Babylon 5'' scored well with the [[demographics]] required to attract the leading national sponsors and saved up to $300,000 per episode by shooting off the studio lot,<ref name="benson" /> therefore remaining profitable.<ref>{{cite newsgroup |title=Notes from jms |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |author-link=J. Michael Straczynski |date=October 11, 1995 |newsgroup=rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated |url=http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-13613 |access-date=November 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029025150/http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-13613 |archive-date=October 29, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> The fifth season, which aired on cable network [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]], had ratings about 1.0% lower than seasons two through four.

In the United Kingdom, the show aired every week on [[Channel 4]] without a break, with the result that the last four or five episodes of the early seasons screened in the UK before the US.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zocalo.nildram.co.uk/UKAirDates.html |title=Original UK airdates|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911120237/http://www.zocalo.nildram.co.uk/UKAirDates.html |archive-date=September 11, 2007 |access-date=August 22, 2007}}</ref> ''Babylon 5'' was one of the better-rated US television shows on Channel 4,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16068 |title=JMS: UK C4 ratings |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=April 3, 1995 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028171355/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16068 |url-status=live }}</ref> and achieved high audience [[Appreciation Index]]es, with the season 4 episode [[Endgame (Babylon 5)|"Endgame]]" achieving the rare feat of beating the prime-time soap operas for first position.<ref>''[[TV Zone]]'', January 1998 issue</ref>

Straczynski stated that PTEN only required the show to be profitable for the network to remain in production, and said that while this was the case for its first four seasons, on paper it was always losing money; he also remarked in a 2019 interview that in terms of [[Hollywood accounting|contractual profit definition]] the show remained about {{USD|30 million}} in the red on paper, and stated that he had therefore never made any profits on ''Babylon 5''.<ref name="newsarama 2019" /> The entire series cost an estimated $90&nbsp;million for 110 episodes.<ref name="aicn1">{{cite web |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963 |title=Babylon 5 Returns |author=Merrick |date=July 24, 2006 |work=[[Ain't It Cool News]] |publisher=Harry Knowles |location=Austin, Texas |access-date=October 24, 2009 |quote=Anyway, they asked if I wanted to do a feature film but I declined mainly because I can't yet picture structuring a B5 movie as long as [Andreas Katsulas] and [Richard Biggs] insist on staying dead. |archive-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209152545/http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963 |url-status=live }}<!-- original {{cite web |title=Babylon 5 Returns |date=July 24, 2006 |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963 |publisher=[[Ain't It Cool News]] |access-date=November 6, 2007}} --></ref>

''Babylon 5'' successfully completed its five-year story arc on November 25, 1998, after five seasons and 109 aired episodes, when TNT aired the 110th ([[epilogue]]) episode "[[Sleeping in Light]]," which had been filmed as the Season 4 finale, when ''Babylon 5'' was under threat of ending production at that point. After a fifth season was assured, a new Season 4 finale was used so that "[[Sleeping in Light]]" could remain as the series finale.

=== Remastered version ===
In November 2020 a remastered version of the show in 4:3 format was released to the iTunes Store and Amazon Prime Video.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-17|title=Official Remasters Published|url=https://freebabylon5.com/official-remasters-published/|access-date=2021-01-26|website=#FreeBabylon5|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114092628/https://freebabylon5.com/official-remasters-published/|url-status=live}}</ref> This version uses the original negatives for filmed elements, and algorithmically upscales the digitally created elements to HD resolution with fewer visual artifacts, for a more visually consistent presentation. In January 2021, it was made available for streaming on [[HBO Max]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 26, 2021 |author=Daniel Cooper |title='Babylon 5 Remastered' now available to buy, or stream on HBO Max |url=https://www.engadget.com/babylon-5-remastered-hbo-max-digital-download-080058907.html |website=[[Engadget]] |access-date=2021-01-31 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126170734/https://www.engadget.com/babylon-5-remastered-hbo-max-digital-download-080058907.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In February 2023, HBO's license expired and streaming rights were acquired by the free streaming service Tubi.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 5, 2023 |author=Luke Bouma |title='Remastered Babylon 5 is Coming to The Roku Channel & Tubi After Leaving HBO Max|url=https://cordcuttersnews.com/remastered-babylon-5-is-coming-to-the-roku-channel-tubi-after-leaving-hbo-max}}</ref>