Archive-name: uk/tv/babylon-min-faq
Posting-frequency: weekly
Last-modified: 12th February 2000 ('b': novel info updated 14th May 2000)
Copyright: (c) 1998-2000 Anthony Naggs
Maintainer: Anthony Naggs <amn@ubik.demon.co.uk>
URL: http://www.ubik.demon.co.uk/babylon5/
Mini-FAQ version 1.43b
Some Frequently Answered Questions on
uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5 and alt.babylon5.uk
Warning: Please choose only one of these Babylon 5 newsgroups for
your own postings, as these groups do not normally like cross-posting.
This Mini-FAQ attempts to cover more topical stuff than is in the main
FAQ for umtsb5: current broadcast times on the various UK tv channels,
impending dates for B5 novels & video releases, pointers to a few
other information resources.
Yes, I know my webpages with the FAQ are out of date, I'll sort them
out soon - I promise.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* See Section 1 for TV scheduling info, for Channel 4, *
* S4C, the SciFi Channel and Sky One. *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note 'redlines' of '*'s in left margin indicate recent additions or
significant changes. (Typos are not so marked!)
Changes since 1.42:
Original Babylon 5 scripts for SALE! (Q5.5)
Info on the third Babylon 5 short story date in Amazing Stories (Q5.0)
Crusade video release dates (Q4.4)
Subject: CONTENTS
Subject: 1. Babylon 5 broadcast dates/times:
Q 1.0 When are the Babylon 5 reruns on Channel 4? (S4C?)
Q 1.1 What happened to the Sci-Fi Channel's reruns of Babylon 5?
Q 1.2 When can I watch Crusade on Sky One?
Subject: 2. Crusade
Q 2.0 When can I see Crusade on UK tv?
Q 2.1 What has happened to the production of Crusade?
Q 2.2 What was Crusade supposed to be?
Q 2.3 When/where will Crusade be broadcast on 'normal' tv in the UK?
Q 2.4 Anything else I should know about Crusade? (No Spoilers!)
Q 2.5 Is there a website with more information about Crusade?
Subject: 3. UK Babylon 5 newsgroups:
Q 3.0 What about these newsgroups then?
Q 3.1 Can I post spoilers here about upcoming episodes of B5 or Crusade?
Subject: 4. Videos, DVDs and soundtracks
Q 4.0 Can I get Babylon 5 episodes on video? In boxed sets?
Q 4.1 Which Babylon 5 TV movies can I get on video?
Q 4.2 Will Babylon 5 be available in widescreen format?
Q 4.3 What about Babylon 5 on DVD?
Q 4.4 When will Crusade videos appear?
Q 4.5 Can I get the music & songs from episode <...> on CD?
Q 4.6 Where can I find more news on videos & DVDs?
Subject: 5. Stories, novels and magazines
Q 5.0 When can I get JMS's Babylon 5 short stories in 'Amazing Stories'?
Q 5.1 Explain this thing with the novels to me.
Q 5.2 Are any of the first set of novels any good?
Q 5.3 Which of the tv movies have been novelized?
Q 5.4 When are the second set of novels coming out?
Q 5.5 Can I get scripts for Babylon 5 or Crusade?
Q 5.6 Can I get writer's bibles for Babylon 5 or Crusade?
Q 5.7 You mentioned The Babylon 5 Magazine, where can I get this?
Q 5.8 Are there any Babylon 5 graphic novels or comics?
Subject: 6. Miscellany at large
Q 6.0 So what's going down in the meantime?
Q 6.1 Stuff to do, places to be. (cons & pub visits, ...)
Subject: 7. About this Mini-FAQ:
Q 7.0 How do I avoid seeing this Mini-FAQ?
Q 7.1 You haven't answered my question!
Subject: Notes about this posting and uk.*
Subject: 1. Babylon 5 broadcast dates/times:
Q 1.0 When are the Babylon 5 reruns on Channel 4? (S4C?)
A. Channel 4 are rerunning all 5 seasons of Babylon 5 on Sunday nights.
Unfortunately the time has slipped back from around midnight towards
1 o'clock, (again). There are occasional breaks when Ch4 want the
late slot for Christmas programmes or one of their feature weekends.
The Ch4 reruns opened with the original feature length pilot, The
Gathering, on November 8th/9th 1998 at 00:15. (Sadly not the
re-edited version.)
S4C told me, (in email on November 13th 1998):
"Unfortunately the reruns of Babylon 5 will not be shown on S4C, due
to the channel's tight scheduling plans to show Welsh programmes."
Q 1.1 What happened to the Sci-Fi Channel's reruns of Babylon 5?
A. The Sci-Fi Channel's are overlapping their 3rd rerun of seasons 1 to 4
and their first broadcast of season 5.
Season 5's debut on SciFi at 9pm on 2nd November is preceded at 8pm by
the first UK showing of TNT's behind the scenes documentary, "The
Making of Babylon 5". (The documentary was first shown in the USA on
26th December 1997, just a few days prior to Season 5 opening on TNT.)
Currently:
November 1999 - (Seasons 1-4) Weekdays at Midday and 3:00am
November 1999 - (Season 5) Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00pm
Historically, (indicates how often SciFi change their scheduling):
January 1999 - The second set of reruns started. The feature length
pilot was shown twice, on January 14th and 17th 1999. Season 1
proper restarted on 21st January 1999, running on Thursday & Sunday
evenings at 21:00, (9pm).
February 1st 1999 - Babylon 5 changed to showing 3 times a week;
Sundays, Mondays & Thursdays.
July 1999 - B5 reverted to twice a week, on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
September 1999 - The season 4 finale (Deconstruction of Falling
Stars) was broadcast on 9th September 1999. However Season 5 is
delayed until November. Meanwhile SciFi are playing selected
episodes on Thursday evenings, (mostly, in September). In October
episodes air: Tuesday 5th, Tuesday 12th, Tuesday 19th and Monday
25th.
Check the SciFi Channel's website for more news:
<URL:http://www.scifi.com/sfeurope>
Q 1.2 When can I watch Crusade on Sky One?
A. Crusade has now finished its (first) run on Sky One, no word yet on
reruns. It was shown on Sunday evenings at 8pm during July and
August, and on both Saturday & Sunday for the first two weekends in
September.
For advice on what & where not to post about Crusade see below in
"Q2.4 Anything else I should know? (No Spoilers!)".
Subject: 2. Crusade
See also details of the tv movie "A Call to Arms" in section 4,
(Q 4.1 and info on the novelization in Q 5.3). Crusade videos are
being released, see Q4.4.
Q 2.0 When can I see Crusade on UK tv?
A. Channel 4 now, (as of the start of September), have the terrestrial
broadcast rights, no word yet of when it will be scheduled. We are
also waiting for news of any reruns on Sky One
Q 2.1 What has happened to the production of Crusade?
A. As of 26th February 1999, and with 13 episodes (more than half the
first season) already filmed, JMS confirmed that production has
stopped. You can see his news posting care of DejaNews:
<URL:http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=448888662>
TNT, (the US cable tv channel), were hailed for stepping in at the
last moment and funding season 5 of Babylon 5. They also commissioned
the four tv movies. But despite signing up to buy Crusade their
relationship with Babylonian Productions and Warner Bros. had become
rather bumpy. One presumes that this reflects changes of staff
amongst TNT's tv executives in Atlanta.
Warners helped Babylonian resist TNT's requests to dumb down the
stories and to fill the sets with skimpily dressed females. But TNT's
jerking on the strings became too much for WB, who started to look for
another US outlet to underwrite production. One report is that
production initially stopped because all the scripts in hand featured
a minor character that TNT first said they wanted to see more of, and
then decided they didn't want after all!
The state of play, as reported on the 'net by JMS:
"So TNT will now air the full 13 produced, and that's the end of it
for now. I say for now because WB has told us to fold and hold all
the sets, rather than scrap them, because they believe strongly in the
show, and feel that when the ratings come in we may well be able to
pick up a second season. We'll see."
For Crusade to get that reprieve it must get good ratings in the USA
for those 13 episodes. Unfortunately the cast of Crusade are only on
contract until July, and even JMS himself will be involved in other tv
projects in the meantime so may not be available for a new season.
Other difficulties include the preference of channels such as SciFi
for productions that they own part of, so that they get a slice of any
success. (Crusade, like Babylon 5 before it, is owned by WB.)
More details of Crusade's travails can be found via DejaNews, or at
"Ain't it Cool News": <URL:http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/>
Q 2.2 What was Crusade supposed to be?
A. Crusade was JMS's new tv project after Babylon 5, the story starts in
2267 in the Babylon 5 calendar. Like Babylon 5 itself, JMS planned to
tell an overall story arcing across 5 seasons of 22 episodes - though
the framework of the connecting story would be looser. The series
stars Gary Cole (Midnight Caller), Peter Woodward (son of Edward),
Daniel Dae Kim, David Allen Brooks, Marjean Holden and Carrie Dobro.
The TV movie A Call To Arms sets up the story for Crusade, and
premiered in the USA on 3rd January 1999. The series itself debuted
on TNT on Thursday 10th June 1999.
Q 2.3 When/where will Crusade be broadcast on 'normal' tv in the UK?
A. Channel 4 have now (beginning of September) acquired the broadcast
rights to Crusade. There is no indication yet of when it will be
scheduled.
One problem is that Warners prefer to release the tv movies in the UK
on the video 6 months before the first tv broadcast. Yet A Call to
Arms is important in setting up the premise for Crusade. (Though
episode one of Crusade does have a lot of introductory exposition to
help introduce viewers.)
Paul Bolchover has suggested a possible timetable could be:
Jan 99 - US Airing of "A Call to Arms"
Jun 99 - UK Video release of "A Call to Arms"
[actually released on the 2nd August]
Jan 00 - UK TV rights to "A Call to Arms" become available
[6 months after the video release pushes this back to
March]
Mar 00 - UK TV airing of "A Call to Arms"
Apr 00 - UK TV airing of "Crusade"
Q 2.4 Anything else I should know about Crusade? (No Spoilers!)
A. Until Crusade appears on terrestrial tv (Channel 4 & S4C) please
follow these guidelines against posting spoilers:
1: uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5
You should not post Crusade plot or character details to
uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5, use uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5.misc instead.
See the "Micro-FAQ: Crusade on * Sky tv" posting for more details.
2: alt.babylon5.uk
Title your posts clearly and use 30 lines of "spoiler space" to
protect readers who don't have access to Sky tv. See "The Posting
Rules" post for more details.
Q 2.5 Is there a website with more information about Crusade?
A. The official site is at:
<URL:http://www.b5crusade.com/main.html>
Subject: 3. UK Babylon 5 newsgroups:
Q 3.0 What about these newsgroups then?
A. There are two main newsgroups for UK viewers of Babylon 5, with
(mostly) different members. Both have rules against crossposts and
spoilers for episodes not yet broadcast by Channel 4 or S4C.
uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5
This is where I mostly hang out, the .social newsgroup is a good
place to find out how and where to meet other UK fans.
(Particularly gatherings in London and Manchester.)
For advice on what you can post etc there is a FAQ for the group.
It is a little out of date at the moment but being revised.
Either email to faq@arrakis.nu or visit:
<URL:http://www.ge.ucl.ac.uk/~jmorley/B5-FAQ/B5-FAQ-INDEX.html>
*** Don't forget, posts about Crusade on Sky should be made to the
*** .misc group.
The charter for the group is at:
<URL:http://www.usenet.org.uk/uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5.html>
alt.babylon5.uk
This is similar but with a different mix of people, and therefore
different conversations. Posters there have weekly IRC sessions
which you may enjoy.
For details what you can do here look out for the "Posting Rules"
either on the newsgroup or at the group's website:
<URL:http://come.to/alt.babylon5.uk>
*** Posts about Crusade need 30 lines of spoiler space.
Visit one or both to keep up to date with your favourite tv show!
Q 3.1 Can I post spoilers here about upcoming episodes of B5 or Crusade?
A. No. No. And thrice no. (With apologies to Frankie Howerd.)
Episodes not broadcast Channel 4 must not be discussed. Also episodes
recently shown on Channel 4 may not have been shown on S4C, and so
need special consideration. See the relevant FAQ or Posting Rules
described above for more details of what is acceptable.
Subject: 4. Videos, DVDs and soundtracks
Q 4.0 Can I get Babylon 5 episodes on video? In boxed sets?
A. All Babylon 5 episodes are now (20th September 1999) available on
video. There are often discount deals, especially on the earlier
seasons, check HMV, Virgin, WHSmiths, Woolworths, Forbidden Planet,
etc... to see who has the best current deal.
* A limited number of boxed sets of each season, (1 to 5), have been
* available from HMV, <URL:http://www.hmv.co.uk/>, since November 1st
* 1999. The season 1 boxed set includes the original feature length
* pilot, also known as The Gathering. Boxed sets for seasons 1 to 4
* were previously available from HMV and Great Universal catalogues
* in the winter of 1998/9.
Q 4.1 Which Babylon 5 TV movies can I get on video?
A. There are five feature length Babylon 5 stories. The original pilot,
known as "The Gathering" but distributed as "Babylon 5", didn't fulfil
JMS's, (Joe Straczynski), hopes for various reasons, including the
director not quite sharing Joe's vision and PTEN requiring it to be
edited into four acts instead of three. In 1997 Joe re-edited The
Gathering, recovering missing scenes, (despite difficulties such as
rats having dined on some of the original film), and using a new Chris
Franke score that makes it feel more harmonious with the rest of the
story. Although the re-edited version has shown in the USA there is
as yet no sign of either a UK broadcast or video release.
The original version of the pilot has been shown several times on
Channel 4 and is available on video.
There are four other tv movies, which have all been released on video:
1. In the Beginning, is a prequel story to the whole Babylon 5 story.
UK release; 27th July 1998.
HMV have a limited edition twinpack of book & video.
Rating: 10 out of 10. Excellent!
2. Thirdspace, leans to the horror/adventure genre - with strong
undercurrents of H.P. Lovecraft.
UK release; 14th September 1998.
HMV have a limited edition twinpack of book & video.
Rating: very good (8 out of 10) for people who like this genre,
but unsatisfying or worse (3 out of 10) for others.
3. River of Souls, mediocre transplant of one of those awful Star Trek
TNG or Voyager holodeck stories, set early/mid season 4.
UK release; 22nd February 1999.
(The novelization fell through, so there is no HMV twinpack.)
Rating: 2 out of 10. Poor compared to the rest of Babylon 5.
4. A Call to Arms, segues from the Babylon 5 story into setting up the
premise for Crusade.
UK release; 2nd August 1999.
HMV have a limited edition twinpack of book & video.
Rating: 7 out of 10. Good, but a few story weaknesses.
From 1st November 1999 a special boxed set of widescreen editions of
the four movies have been available from HMV, see below ...
Q 4.2 Will Babylon 5 be available in widescreen format?
A. All Babylon 5 (and Crusade) episodes and the tv movies, (but not the
feature length pilot), were filmed in widescreen with the intention
that they eventually be shown in that way. The Computer Generated
Imaging (CGI) was initially only generated for regular tv format, so
they need to be re-rendered for widescreen. (Some markets have
reportedly broadcast widescreen versions of some seasons, so this has
already been done for some episodes.) Although the main activities
are framed for normal tv viewing there are certainly little extras
that JMS and the directors have placed in anticipation of widescreen
distribution.
The four movies - In the Beginning, Thirdspace, The River of Souls and
A Call to Arms - are available in a boxed set in the 16:9 ratio format
exclusively in HMV (UKP 34.99) since 1st November 1999.
If these prove popular WHV will hopefully release widescreen videos of
seasons 1 to 5 too!
Q 4.3 What about Babylon 5 on DVD?
A. There were strong rumours of plans to release DVDs in the autumn of
* 1999. There are still rumours floating around, but no firm info.
* Sorry.
It is hoped that Warner Bros will indicate release details such dates,
and whether the DVDs will carry regular format presentations,
widescreen or both, possibly with bloopers or scenes that were cut for
time, ...
Q 4.4 When will Crusade videos appear?
A. Release dates for Crusade videos have now been announced:
* Babylon 5 Crusade Volume 1 - 6th March
* Babylon 5 Crusade Volume 2 - 6th March
* Babylon 5 Crusade Volume 3 - 12th April
*
* And one per month thereafter.
*
* Some websites allow pre-ordering of tapes, e.g.
* <URL:http://www.blackstar.co.uk/>
Q 4.5 Can I get the music & songs from episode <...> on CD?
A. Much of Christopher Franke's music for Babylon 5 is available on CD:
+ Two CDs "Babylon 5" and "Babylon 5 Vol 2" have music from the first
4 seasons.
+ Individual soundtrack CDs for the TV movies "In The Beginning" and
"Thirdspace".
+ A further 19 episodic soundtracks from episodes in the first 4
seasons!
+ Soundtracks for River of Souls and some season 5 episodes are
likely soon.
+ February '99, 4 new soundtracks have been released. Two are on
general distribution: Falling Towards Apotheosis and Darkness
Ascending. The other two only available through the website:
Objects At Rest and Sleeping In Light.
+ June '99, Evan Chen's soundtrack for Crusade will be released
through Franke's record company.
In the UK the first two CDs and the TV movie soundtracks should be
available from larger music stores. The episode soundtracks are
carried by specialist shops such as Forbidden Planet, Andromeda and
Tower records.
For more information, or even to order online, select "Babylon 5"
under Favorites in the left hand menu of:
<URL:http://www.sonicimages.com/b5/b5home.html>
Q 4.6 Where can I find more news on videos & DVDs?
A. Check Arwel Parry's web page for the latest news:
<URL:http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/eng/b5vid.htm>
Subject: 5. Stories, novels and magazines
US editions of novels are often available in the UK from SF shops such
as Forbidden Planet and Andromeda. Or they can be purchased with a
credit card from amazon.co.uk, amazon.com or from US bookshops, by
phone or Internet.
Disclaimer: ISBN numbers are quoted in good faith but may have
typographical errors.
Q 5.0 When can I get JMS's Babylon 5 short stories in 'Amazing Stories'?
A. There are 3 Babylon 5 short stories on their way...
JMS wrote on 2nd April 1999:
"Aside from the coming novels, I've just turned in the first of
three B5 stories that will be appearing in Amazing Stories Magazine."
The 3 short stories are all set after the penultimate episode, Objects
at Rest:
The Shadow of his Thoughts - is about Londo, and appeared in the
Summer 1999 issue, (issue #597, July 1999).
Genius Loci - follows G'Kar & Lyta, in the Winter 1999 issue, (issue
#599, December 1999).
* ? - no title yet but JMS gave these details on the 15th January 2000:
* "The third, which I just finished and turned in to Amazing
* Stories, and which will appear I think around May, was written
* with one express purpose: to set the proverbial cat amongst the
* proverbial pigeons with something that's going to send a ripple
* all through B5 fandom; it's a story I don't think anyone ever
* expected to see.
*
* Just the first line alone should stun a number of B5 folks
*
* And that's all I'm going to say about it. But just know...
* there's a real toad-strangler coming up in May."
*
* This will actually be out on June 26th in the Summer 2000 issue,
* (issue #602).
Check the Amazing Stories website for more news, and subscription
details:
* <URL:http://www.wizards.com/amazing/>
Q 5.1 Explain this thing with the novels to me.
A. There is a stack of B5 novels in print, and on the way, to supplement
the tv series with aspects of the story that didn't make it to the
small screen. The first nine were of variable quality, whilst JMS &
Babylonian had some initial input into the story ideas they had little
control over their development. (Except that the ninth was actually
written by JMS's wife.)
The second series of nine and the tv movie novelizations are looking
a lot better.
Q 5.2 Are any of the first set of novels any good?
A. I found these to be of very mixed quality but they are nevertheless
being repackaged, (in the UK), in omnibus volumes. I've rated each of
those which I've read, you may not agree with my ratings but I hope
they are of some value to you.
Babylon 5 Omnibus 1
UK: Channel 4 books; ISBN: 0-7522-1778-X
Paperback - 768 pages (19 August, 1999)
Comprising these three stories;
Babylon 5: Voices
John Vornholt
(Formerly published as Book #1. UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-0644-3.
US; pbk - Dell ISBN 0-440-22057-2,
Turtleback - Demco Media ISBN 0-606-07239-X)
Rating: 6 out of 10. Readable and shedding some interesting
light.
Babylon 5: Accusations
Lois Tilton
(Formerly published as Book #2. UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-0649-4.
US; pbk - Dell ISBN 0-440-22058-0,
Turtleback - Demco Media ISBN 0-606-07240-3)
Rating: none. (Not read this one.)
Babylon 5: Blood Oath
John Vornholt
(Formerly published as Book #3. UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-0654-0.
US; pbk - Dell ISBN 0-440-22059-9,
Turtleback - Demco Media ISBN 0-606-07241-1)
Rating: none. (Not read this one.)
The other 6 novels are still available individually, they may also
appear in the future in omnibus forms:
Book #4
Babylon 5: Clark's Law
Jim Mortimore
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-0153-0 US; Dell ISBN 0-440-22229-X
Rating: 6 out of 10. Good standalone story.
Book #5
Babylon 5: The Touch of Your Shadow, The Whisper of Your Name
Neal Barrett Jr
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-0158-1 US; Dell ISBN 0-440-22230-3
Rating: 4 out of 10. Weak.
Book #6
Babylon 5: Betrayals
S.M. Stirling
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-0163-8 US; Dell ISBN 0-440-22234-6
Rating: none. (Not read this one.)
Book #7
Babylon 5: The Shadow Within
Jeanne Cavelos
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2339-9 US; Dell ISBN 0-440-22348-2
Rating: 8 out of 10. Anna Sheridan's story, a must read.
Book #8
Babylon 5: Personal Agendas
Al Sarrantonio
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2344-5 US; Dell ISBN 0-440-22351-2
Rating: 1 out of 10. Avoid.
Book #9
Babylon 5: To Dream in the City of Sorrows
Kathryn M. Drennan
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2354-2 US; Dell ISBN 0-440-22354-7
Rating: 9 out of 10. Highly recommended, lots of tie-ins with
the tv episodes.
Q 5.3 Which of the tv movies have been novelized?
A. JMS originally promised a novelization of the pilot, no more was
heard and it is presumed that this died with PTEN's demands for
editing it as a four act drama and the delay between the pilot
and season 1 causing the loss of several actors & characters.
The four tv movies were all intended to be novelized. Sadly The
River of Souls is the worst Babylon 5 story to escape Babylonian and
see the light of day. One can only presume the screenplay is as bad
as the movie, yet based on this screenplay Yvonne Navarro created a
novelization of the story. Given the starting point whatever Ms
Navarro wrote must surely have been an improvement, unfortunately JMS
took exception to the novel and "The River of Souls" looks unlikely
to ever reach the presses. Read Yvonne's story of heartbreak here:
<URL:http://www.para-net.com/~ynavarro/souls.htm>
So only three of the TV movies have been novelized:
In the Beginning, by Peter David
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2484-0 US; Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42452-2
Thirdspace, by Peter David
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2489-1 US; Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42454-9
A Call to Arms, by Robert Sheckley
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-1813-1 US; Del Rey ISBN 0-345-43155-3
Q 5.4 When are the second set of novels coming out?
A. The second set of B5 novels are first published in the US by Del Rey,
and anywhere between a few weeks and a few months later in the UK by
Boxtree.
There are three trilogies of new B5 novels in progress:
The telepath (a.k.a. Psi Corps) trilogy - by J. Gregory Keyes
1 Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2112-4 US; Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42715-7
2 Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant
UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2113-2 US; Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42716-5
3 Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester
UK: Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2114-0 US: Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42717-3
Centauri Prime trilogy - by Peter David
*** No UK publication info for any of these ***
1 Legions of Fire: the Long Night of Centauri Prime
US: Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42718-1
2 Armies of Light and Dark
US: 1st May 2000 - Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42719-X
* 3 Out of the Darkness
* US: expected somewhen in 2000
Technomage trilogy - by Jeanne Cavelos
no publication dates yet (first one in 2000)
* 1 The Passing of the Techno-Mages: Casting Shadows
* 2 Summoning Light
* 3 title & publication info not yet known
Q 5.5 Can I get scripts for Babylon 5 or Crusade?
A. Most tv scripts you may see advertised or on dealer stands are bootleg
photocopies of actors scripts. No money from these will reach JMS or
Babylonian Productions.
Two genuine full B5 scripts are available in book form:
The Coming of Shadows:
The Coming of Shadows Script Book, by Joe Straczynski
UK only: Boxtree; ISBN: 0-7522-1144-7 (128 pages, 19 June 1998)
The Complete Book of Scriptwriting, by Joe Straczynski includes
the script of TCoS as an appendix.
US: Writers Digest Books; ISBN 0-898-79512-5 (Oct 1996)
UK: Titan Books; ISBN 1-85286-882-1 (paperback 432pp Sept 1997)
The Day of the Dead: Neil Gaiman's script is being sold with
annotations in aid of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,
ISBN: 1-89205-802-2. Available from Forbidden Planet and directly
from the CBLDF <URL:http://www.cbldf.org/>, amongst other places.
* Copies of the original scripts are being sold, one per month, from the
* official fan site:
* <URL:http://www.thestation.com/>
Q 5.6 Can I get writer's bibles for Babylon 5 or Crusade?
On 26th June 1999 JMS posted to the 'net that the Writer's Bible for
Crusade is available. Here's what he said:
For those interested...www.thestation.com is now selling copies of
the original Crusade writer's bible, packed with information about
the series, and the characters, stuff that won't be seen until all
13 air. This is the first time we've made a series bible available
for either B5 or Crusade...and they're already going fast.
<URL:http://www.thestation.com/>
Q 5.7 You mentioned The Babylon 5 Magazine, where can I get this?
A. There are several magazines with good regular coverage of Babylon 5.
The obvious first one to mention is The Official Babylon 5 Magazine,
for more details and info on how you can subscribe check the
magazine's FAQ:
<URL:http://www.jfree.dircon.co.uk/03b5faq.htm>
Another magazine to look for is Dreamwatch, more info from:
<URL:http://www.dreamwatch.co.uk/>
Q 5.8 Are there any Babylon 5 graphic novels or comics?
A. Yes, there are 4 graphic novels:
Babylon 5
Straczynski, Moretti, Netzer, Leigh, Garzon
UK: Titan Books; 96 pages, 1995 - ISBN 1-85286-646-2 - UKP 6.99
Published in the USA by DC Comics as issues 1-4 of 'Babylon 5'
Set between Babylon 5 seasons 1 & 2, prior to Kathryn Drennan's
novel "To Dream in the City of Sorrows".
Babylon 5: Shadows Past and Present
Straczynski, DeHaas, Ridgway
UK: Titan Books; 96 pages, 1996 - ISBN 1-85286-735-3 - UKP 6.99
Published in the USA by DC Comics as issues 5-8 of 'Babylon 5'
Set between Babylon 5 seasons 1 & 2.
Babylon 5: In Valen's Name
J. Michael Straczynski, Peter David, et al
UK: Titan Books; 76 pages, 1998 - ISBN 1-85286-981-X - UKP 6.99
Previously published in Babylon 5 magazine.
Babylon 5 : The Price of Peace
J. Michael Straczynski, et al
US/import: DC Comics; 1998 - ISBN 1-56389-567-X
Previously published in Babylon 5 magazine.
Prestory on how the Psi-Corps came to be created, see also
J. Gregory Keyes trilogy of Psi-Corps novels.
Subject: 6. Miscellany at large
Q 6.0 So what's going down in the meantime?
A. There are the novels, the comics, the soundtracks, videos of the tv
movies and even a Writer's Bible for Crusade, and you want more?!
Well Channel 4 and the satellite/cable SciFi Channel are rerunning
previously screened episodes. (See section 1.) And you can get to
know the wonderful people in these B5 newsgroups!
For general information about Babylon 5 The Lurker's Guide is the best
place to visit, but beware of spoilers for material not yet broadcast
in the UK.
<URL:http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/>
Also keep in eye on the online Zocalo Today newsletter:
<URL:http://zocalo.isnnews.net/>
The official Warner Bros. Babylon 5 website is at:
<URL:http://babylon5.warnerbros.com/cmp/>
Q 6.1 Stuff to do, places to be. (cons & pub visits, ...)
A. The folk from uk.media.sf.tv.babylon5 often meet up for a chat over
a few drinks. The uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5.social newsgroup has
discussion of London events. Fans in other areas, (e.g. Manchester,
Edinburgh & Oxford), also get together, post a message and ask what
is going on in your area.
For info on other UK media cons, etc... visit:
<URL:http://www.smof.com/>
and Bob at Page's Bar in London has an excellent, and more complete
than most, list of upcoming events at:
<URL:http://home.rednet.co.uk/homepages/stbob/events.html>
Subject: 7. About this Mini-FAQ:
Q 7.0 How do I avoid seeing lots of copies of this Mini-FAQ?
A. Each weekly posting should automatically replace any older copies that
you have collected. If you never want to see this Mini-FAQ again your
newsreader may be able to 'killfile' posts with this header line
"Keywords: mini-faq". If you want to only see revised versions
killfiling posts with a "X-Mini-Faq: " header should work. More
simply, kill on the subject line.
Q 7.1 You haven't answered my question!
A. This is only a Mini-FAQ, it endeavours to be short and topical. If it
answered all your questions it wouldn't be a Mini-FAQ anymore! Oh,
and I'm feeling lazy. :-) Additions & corrections are always
welcome, see below ...
Subject: Notes about this posting and uk.*
Corrections & suggestions for additions should be sent to
MrFaq@ubik.demon.co.uk
My thanks to all both named and un-named who have contributed, whether
with gems of info that I have snaffled, (Paul Bolchover & Robbie),
helped my investigations (Shaun Gerrans & Caroline), suggested
additions (Neil Gray & Bruce Goatly), spotted typos or just offered
words of appreciation.
Announcements relating to uk.* newsgroups, (e.g. of new groups),
appear in the low traffic newsgroup news:uk.net.news.announce, which
you are encouraged to subscribe to.
Followups to this posting are directed to the poster.
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Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM
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