OVER 700 PAGES OF ANECDOTES AND COMMENTARY WRITTEN BY J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS SERIES.

Each book begins with one of these in the form of a 50-70 page introduction covering topics such as --

• The origins of the series and characters
• His relationships with the cast and crew
• The triumphs and tragedies that took place behind the scenes

RARE DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING:

• The original treatment used to sell Babylon 5 to the network
• The Babylon 5 Writer's Bible
• "The Book of the War," an unfinished comic book script JMS wrote to introduce
• Marcus Cole
• Storylines for unfilmed episodes of Babylon 5
• The premise for Babylon 5: Rangers, a spin-off conceived prior to Crusade

OVER 50 PIECES OF CONCEPT ART INCLUDING:

• Early character sketches of:
• Jeffrey Sinclair
• Laurel Chang (later renamed Takashima)
• Michael Garibaldi
• Dr. Chakri Mendak (later renamed Benjamin Kyle)
• Delenn
• Londo Mollari
• G'Kar
• Kosh and his lifemate Velana (both in and out of their encounter suits)

Designs for:

• Logos
• Technology
• Ships both Human and alien
• Signage designed to be seen on the station
• Uniforms and insignia
• Vorlon encounter suits
• Plus early drawings of the interior and exterior of the Babylon 5 station itself

OVER 70 OF JMS'S BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTOS, FEATURING:

• JMS at the first Babylon 5 presentation
• The cast of The Gathering at the first Babylon 5 read through
• Mira Furlan and Peter Jurasik at their first convention
• The Babylon 5 station under construction
• Mira Furlan's makeup tests
• Peter Jurasik in Londo's wig for the first time
• The first sculpture of G'Kar's prosthetic
• Andreas Katsulas's first wardrobe and makeup test
• The first photo of Ambassador Kosh
• The Ikarran war machine and a plethora of other aliens designed for the pilot and series
• n'grath without the benefit of shadows to hide his shortcomings
• Rehearsals photos from key episodes like "And the Sky, Full of Stars" and "War Without End"
• The assembled Earth religions from "The Parliament of Dreams"
• The flyers and frilly underthings related to "Lyta's Lingerie"
• The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
• Harlan Ellison's cartoon lamenting the loss of B5's fifth season
• Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins and Jeff Conaway
• celebrating the one hundredth episode of B5
• G'Kar's costume at the Museum of Television and Radio

On-set photos from the production of key episodes, including:

• "And the Sky, Full of Stars"
• "The Parliament of Dreams"
• "Mind War"
• "Divided Loyalties"
• "Comes the Inquisitor"
• "Voices of Authority"
• "War Without End"
• and "Sleeping in Light," featuring JMS as the maintenance worker who shuts down the station
• Plus candid photos of the cast and crew at work and play, including Claudia Christian and Jerry Doyle armed with bananas during the shooting of "Babylon Squared"

MORE THAN 30 OF JMS'S MEMOS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF TOPICS, INCLUDING:

• B5's Alien Sector
• Casting
• CGI
• Characters (with early notes on Captain John Strider)
• Costumes (Earthforce Uniforms and Insignia, Alien Attire and Encounter Suits)
• Logos
• Long-range planning for upcoming seasons
• Music (featuring notes to Christopher Franke about the theme music)
• Promotional spots (including JMS's ideas for advertising the show)
• Prosthetics
• Special Effects
• Storylines (some of which were never used)
• Title Sequences (images, music and narration)
• Unused Characters (The Boss, Idori Shima and Laura James)
• Weaponry (how the PPGs should work)

Plus:

• JMS's frank critique of the pilot movie
• Notes to Bruce Boxleitner and Claudia Christian detailing the upcoming stories for their characters
• JMS's thank you to the cast and crew
• And even the plans drawn up to deal with the loss of the show's fifth season

JMS'S PRODUCER'S NOTEBOOK FOR IN THE BEGINNING, FEATURING:

• Shooting schedules for all the actors
• Script timings
• Visual effects tracker and storyboards

And, of course: THE COMPLETE TELEPLAYS FOR JMS'S 92 HOUR-LONG EPISODES AS WELL AS SCRIPTS FOR THE PILOT MOVIE AND TNT'S FIRST MOVIE OF THE WEEK:

• The Gathering (with JMS's handwritten notes)
• Midnight on the Firing Line
• Soul Hunter
• Infection
• The Parliament of Dreams
• Mind War
• And the Sky, Full of Stars
• Signs and Portents
• A Voice in the Wilderness, Part One
• A Voice in the Wilderness, Part Two
• Babylon Squared
• The Quality of Mercy
• Chrysalis
• Points of Departure
• Revelations
• The Geometry of Shadows
• A Race Through Dark Places
• The Coming of Shadows
• All Alone in the Night
• Acts of Sacrifice
• Hunter, Prey
• And Now For a Word
• In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
• Confessions and Lamentations
• Divided Loyalties
• The Long, Twilight Struggle
• Comes the Inquisitor
• The Fall of Night
• Matters of Honor
• Convictions
• A Day in the Strife
• Passing Through Gethsemane
• Voices of Authority
• Dust to Dust
• Exogenesis
• Messages From Earth
• Point of No Return
• Severed Dreams
• Ceremonies of Light and Dark
• Sic Transit Vir
• A Late Delivery From Avalon
• Ship of Tears
• Interludes and Examinations
• War Without End, Part One
• War Without End, Part Two
• Walkabout
• Grey 17 Is Missing
• And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
• Shadow Dancing
• Z'ha'dum
• The Hour of the Wolf
• Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
• The Summoning
• Falling Toward Apotheosis
• The Long Night
• Into the Fire
• Epiphanies
• The Illusion of Truth
• Atonement
• Racing Mars
• Lines of Communication
• Conflicts of Interest
• Rumors, Bargains and Lies
• Moments of Transition
• No Surrender, No Retreat
• The Exercise of Vital Powers
• The Face of the Enemy
• Intersections in Real Time
• Between the Darkness and the Light
• Endgame
• Rising Star
• Sleeping in Light (including pages featuring JMS's director's notes and reproductions of a script signed by the cast and crew)
• The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
• No Compromises
• The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari
• The Paragon of Animals
• A View From the Gallery
• Learning Curve
• Strange Relations
• Secrets of the Soul
• In the Kingdom of the Blind
• A Tragedy of Telepaths
• Phoenix Rising
• The Ragged Edge
• The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father
• Meditations on the Abyss
• Darkness Ascending
• And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
• Movements of Fire and Shadow
• The Fall of Centauri Prime
• The Wheel of Fire
• Objects in Motion
• Objects at Rest
• In the Beginning

PLUS UNPRODUCED SCRIPTS, INCLUDING:

• The original 1989 version of the Babylon 5 pilot
• An alternate version of "And the Sky, Full of Stars," featuring Laurel Takashima
• The aborted version of "Soul Hunter" that JMS withdrew from the producers shortly after he turned it in
• The unfinished script for "Festival!"--an early version of "The Parliament of Dreams," featuring Mr. Jones
• The first draft of "Matters of Honor," featuring Simon Drake, the creator of the Babylon Project
• The joke pages from "The Exercise of Vital Powers," featuring a romantically involved Londo and G'Kar

AS WELL AS JOE CUTS: A page-by-page, scene-by-scene inventory of additions, deletions and alterations made to the Babylon 5 scripts between the time they left JMS's word processor and the moment they appeared on the television screen. Instead of scrounging around on the cutting room floor, let this detailed guide direct you to the scenes you couldn't see on TV, like the murder of a Ranger by Morden's Shadow bodyguards that was cut from "Interludes and Examinations."

And -- saving the best for last -- JMS'S ORIGINAL SYNOPSIS OF HOW BABYLON 5 WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED IF JEFFREY SINCLAIR HAD REMAINED IN COMMAND.

---

Publication Date: October 29, 2005
Format: Softcover

FEATURING

• A 53 page (13,000 word) introduction with episode commentaries written specifically for this volume. Learn the genesis of the Babylon 5 series, the five year journey of selling it, the day B5 almost died, and behind-the-scenes stories, many never told before, about the making of the landmark pilot movie and these five episodes.
• 30 pages of memos from Straczynski written during production, detailing the history of the many alien races, prop and set design, casting...nearly every aspect of creating the Babylon 5 universe is revealed here for the first time.
• 11 pages of candid, behind-the-scenes B&W photos of cast and crew taken by Straczynski, drawn from his personal archives, seen here for the first time.
• This is much more than a script compilation; it is the story behind the making of the Babylon 5 series, told from the inside.

SCRIPTS

• The Gathering (Original 1989 Pilot Script) Alternate Version, Never Previously Released
• Midnight on the Firing Line
• Soul Hunter
• Infection
• The Parliament of Dreams
• Mind War

Please note that this volume contains the equivalent of 7 scripts because the Gathering is a 2-hour double-length script.

J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI TALKS ABOUT VOLUME 1

When we went to sell Babylon 5, I wrote a pilot screenplay to take around. When we made the deal, the notes process began...and the script went through considerable changes. But this is the ORIGINAL draft, the one only seen by the studio and the other producers on the show.

What's different? How about Garibaldi trying to get hold of his dying father back on Mars...how about a shape-shifter instead of a Minbari assassin with a changeling net...Londo as a part-time pick-pocket...Dr. Chakri Mendak instead of Dr. Kyle...new scenes between Lyta and Laurel, Delenn and others that were later cut...a LOT more character scenes with Sinclair and Garibaldi...a discovery about Delenn's lifestone and what that means to the Minbari...where Sinclair is NOT put on trial, but finds a whole different and more interesting way to solve the mystery of Kosh's assailant...and the introduction of Kosh's life-mate, Velana, who plays a very important role in the script. (Didn't know Vorlons had life-mates, did you?)

This script is HUGELY different from the one we filmed -- funnier in places, with more character moments -- and it has been kept under lock and key all this time. Now, for the first time, it will has been officially released in the first volume of this 15 volume set.

In this volume, readers will also discover:

• The secret meaning of the title "Midnight on the Firing Line"
• How Londo ended up with all that hair
• Why Lyta was in "The Gathering" but not the first two seasons.
• And the Christmas bombshell that almost destroyed the chances of Babylon 5 ever coming on the air

---

Publication Date: November 26, 2005
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• And the Sky, Full of Stars
• Signs and Portents
• A Voice in the Wilderness (Part One)
• A Voice in the Wilderness (Part Two)
• Babylon Squared
• The Quality of Mercy
  
  And the famous first-season finale...
  
  
• Chrysalis

FEATURING

• A brand new 57 page, 15,000 word introduction and commentary written exclusively for this volume! (That's two thousand words longer than volume one.)
• 37 pages of memos describing for the first time the design of B5's guns, links, and the alien sector...the creation of new regular characters later omitted from the series (The Boss and The Mysterious Mr. Jones).
  
  In a special feature, the memos also include story development notes and recently-rediscovered premises for such lost season one Babylon 5 episodes as The World Below, The Resurrectionist, The Commander's Hour, In Their Image, Debt of Honor, Target Unknown and many, many more!
• 8 pages of B&W photos of cast and crew taken by Straczynski, drawn from his personal archives, seen here for the first time.

In this extensive analysis, you will also --

DISCOVER what dumpster diving, living in a cult's religious commune, and sixties coffeehouses had to do with the creation of both the Joe Straczynski Memorial Mandala and the Babylon 5 five-year arc, a bit of personal history jms has never shared before.

HEAR for yourself the consequences that followed when Claudia Christian was left strapped into a Starfury during an earthquake.

UNRAVEL the truth behind Londo's hair once and for all...who is REALLY to blame for this, why, and where it all started to go completely out of control.

WITNESS the process that led to Morden's famous "What do you want?" questions.

LEARN the secrets of production that kept Babylon on-course and on-budget for five years, and turned the B5 cast and crew into one of the tightest families in television.

FIND OUT what Warner Bros. said when it came time to reveal Londo Mollari's...attributes...on camera, and even more horrifying, what happened when the prop department had to actually build the darned things.

UNDERSTAND how the Babylon 5 sets and costumes were designed, and what made them different from nearly every other TV series.

LAUGH with hysterical dementia as you discover what happened the night the network LOST the next episode of Babylon 5 and decided to put it together themselves.

SEE with your own eyes the Amazing Snackie Bowl Incident that saved the day while filming "And the Sky, Full of Stars"

SLOG THROUGH jms's over-wrought and breathtakingly inaccurate observations on culture, history, Gandhi, warfare, sacrifice blahdee-blahdee-blah he's SO into this stuff, but it helped shape the future history of Babylon 5 so we had no choice but to include it. We apologize profusely.

UNCOVER why and how the "fasten/zip" scene came to be written, and the horrors that followed thereafter.

PREPARE TO BE SHOCKED when you learn who Zathras was modeled after (you'll never guess this one!)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Hidden plot details, revealed! Secrets of production, exposed! Untold stories of the cast, unearthed! Centauri hairlines, apologized for! High-priced writing advice, freely given! The June Lockhart Rainbow Break, explained! And what the HECK is "The Hokey Pokey" doing in Babylon 5?

---

Publication Date: January 2, 2006
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Points of Departure
• Revelations
• The Geometry of Shadows
• A Race Through Dark Places
• The Coming of Shadows
• All Alone in the Night
• Acts of Sacrifice

FEATURING

• A brand new 60 page introduction and commentary. The longest one yet. More than 19,500 words, many of them pronouns, some nouns, a handful of adverbs and far more adjectives than would be appropriate for polite company.
• 27 pages of memos written during production of the second season, detailing the process of developing stories, scripts and episodes, some of which have never been seen or discussed before. See how premises are suggested, developed, changed, combined, dropped or re-edited into whole new stories as the season two arc is created in front of your very eyes.

The funniest, most personal, and most revealing volume yet...the book that was so big we had to push the photos to volume 4 just to fit everything in!

• A lengthy discussion of the change-over from Sinclair to Sheridan, including the process by which Bruce Boxleitner was finally selected as the new commanding officer of Babylon 5, what the character's name was originally, and how Sheridan's name was finally chosen.
• For the first time, we reveal the other actors who were considered for the part, and the famous British actor who came within an inch of being hired, what happened, and why.
• A PG13-Rated retelling of what happened the afternoon JMS stepped onto stage B to ask Claudia and Talia about whether or not they'd be willing to play intimate scenes.
• Descriptions of two recurring characters who had been planned to appear in year two but had to be cut.
• JMS's calm, level-headed, scholarly discussion of the decision by PTEN to delay the final episodes of each season until the start of the subsequent season. (One excerpt: "I mean, there's actually a kind of awe that sets in when you begin to really understand the extent of the stupidity involved...the same kind of stunned, silent reverence that comes when you finally see the Mona Lisa up close, or the first time you hear Ode to Joy performed by a live orchestra. The sheer majestic perfection of it sends you to your knees with the realization that this is not just common stupidity, it's a Mount Everest rising into the clouds... a level of stupidity so monumental that it actually acquires horizontal perspective, like a train disappearing into the distance.")
• Read how the techno-mages were created, and why.
• A point-by-point analysis of the nearly-supernatural Babylon 5 synchronicities that began to haunt production and may have resulted in real-life broken bones and arms among the cast.
• Learn for the first time which scenes in "Points of Departure" had to be re-shot, something almost never done in the course of the series, because JMS screwed up.
• Discover the reason Warren Keffer's character was created, what that character was originally supposed to be, and why JMS was determined to kill the character off at the very first opportunity.
• Production secrets about how the Centauri homeworld was created and visualized, and the production of Babylon 5's first Hugo-winning episode, "The Coming of Shadows."
• Never before revealed secrets concerning the relationship between Garibaldi and Sheridan, when and how and why the O'Hare cameo was shot, and how the arc of the season was constructed.
• At last, a complete, shot-for-shot explanation of Sheridan's famous prophetic dream in "All Alone in the Night," most of it never revealed before. Who was the man in the middle, REALLY? It's not who you think.
• The development process that culminated in the Shadow-doctrine of evolution through war.
• Funny convention stories, Drazi wars, and the day the JMS generic protest chant led to the police being summoned.

---

Publication Date: February 11, 2006
Format: Softcover

Yes, at long last, the pre-best-selling* FOURTH VOLUME of the BABYLON 5 SCRIPTS OF J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI.

Here continues the story of the Making of the Second Season of Babylon 5, as told through the FULL AND COMPLETE TELEVISION SCRIPTS for many fan-favorite episodes --

• Hunter, Prey
• And Now for a Word
• In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
• Confessions and Lamentations
• Divided Loyalties
• The Long, Twilight Struggle
• Comes the Inquisitor

-- many of which contain elements not included in the final broadcast version, and/or presented in radically different ways (as with "Comes the Inquisitor")

• PLUS: 10 pages of rare behind-the-scenes B&W photos taken by J. Michael Straczynski (this time without the lens cap in place for a change).

But wait, there's more! (No, seriously, wait...come back...whatever we said, we didn't mean it, we always liked your side of the family, honest.)

• After the publication of volumes 1 and 2 in this 14 volume collection, there were many requests for additional lost script material. (Also four requests for restraining orders, but we just ignored those.) Well, in poring through the Babylon 5 files, much to our delight, puzzlement and terror we discovered a PARTIAL LOST FIRST SEASON SCRIPT entitled "Festival!" This was JMS's first attempt to tell the story that would eventually become "The Parliament of Dreams," but which he abandoned in order to take another path. This is a completely different story, with all different scenes, including the debut of the semi-mystical Mr. Jones, the mysterious character who would have gone on to be seen a lot in the show. At 18 pages, plus an introduction of its own, the script also includes JMS's private story notations detailing where the script would have eventually gone.

FINALLY, AND BEST OF ALL, this volume contains another of Straczynski's long-winded, self-indulgent, overblown introductions and episodic commentaries. This time the damage weighs in at 57 pages and 18,000 words.

• Feel what it was like to be inside Babylon 5 as it began to become a pop culture phenomenon!
• Learn step-by-step how a script goes from the page to the stage, meeting everyone in the production team responsible for creating Babylon 5...from art to wardrobe, CGI and prosthetics.
• Learn the behind-the-scenes reasons behind the departure of Andrea Thompson, and the return of Patricia Tallman, as Babylon 5's resident telepath(s) and what changes took place in the series as a result.
• Discover the detailed steps taken to create the sense of a news broadcast for "And Now for a Word," with clues where to look to see where the illusion breaks down.
• Find out who decked Bruce Boxleitner during "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum."
• Examine the evidence for JMS's never-before-revealed theory concerning the real identity of Jack the Ripper, a theory you may never have heard anywhere before.
• And finally, Straczynski's thoughts on the life and passing of Richard Biggs, and the day the Babylon 5 family gathered to say goodbye one final time.
• Almost sixty pages of recollections and stories from the series' pivotal second season, and some of its most popular episodes.
• PERFECT FOR VALENTINE'S DAY, as proof to your loved one of your affection, your caring, and the fact that you had about thirty bucks to spend.
• NOW SHRINK-WRAPPED FOR EXTRA PROTECTION! (Well, we were excited about it, anyway.)
• ORDER NOW! OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY! (And some are squatting.)

* Martian Publisher's Weekly, May 2257, Top 100 Pre-23rd Century Books by People We Always Found Vaguely Annoying

---

Publication Date: March 10, 2006
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• The Fall of Night
• Matters of Honor (Original Draft)
• Matters of Honor (Production Draft)
• Convictions
• A Day in the Strife
• Passing Through Gethsemane
• Voices of Authority
• Dust to Dust

Psst...c'mere. Closer. I don't want anybody to hear. Closer.

Okay, maybe not THAT close. Back off just a bit.

Good, all right, here's the deal. This is just between us, right?

See, it turns out that at 482 pages Volume 5 is by far the biggest volume we've put out to date. Any bigger and the whole thing would explode. No, not really, metaphorically...it would come apart, and...never mind, just listen, I --

Did you hear something? No? Okay.

So the reason it's the biggest one to date is that JMS found something a little extra for this volume. Everybody knows that the bonus book (aka Volume 15) is available for everybody who buys all 14 volumes is going to have alternate scripts, lost material, all that good stuff...but it's also already crammed to the rafters with stuff, so when he found this, he --

What did he find? Boy, you are the impatient one, aren't you?

He found an alternate version of the season three debut, "Matters of Honor," and --

Shhhhh! Calm down, we don't want anybody to hear, okay? Because he decided not to hold it for the bonus volume and put it in here back to back with the produced version, so instead of getting SEVEN scripts, you get EIGHT scripts, inclusive of TWO COMPLETE VERSIONS of "Matters of Honor," which --

What's the difference, you ask? We were just GETTING to that. The Londo and Delenn B-stories are the same, but the A-story is all about the founder of the Babylon Project himself coming to visit Babylon 5. A man who is very unhappy with how the Babylon stations have been managed, and in particular with how Sheridan is running things. His presence puts the whole operation at risk...especially when something very strange happens to him while he's on the station, and --

Well, you'll just have to read it for yourself, won't you?

This is a story that JMS wanted to tell from the git-go, presented here complete from end to end, but which had to be set aside in order to keep the momentum going on season three.

And THAT'S why this edition is the biggest volume to date...so big in fact that we had to push the photos to volume 6 or risk the whole book exploding and --

No, no, metaphorically exploding, pay attention for goodness sake. We're not going to explain this again, this garage is way too cold for that, and we've got a turkey waiting at home. (His name is Albert, and he says hello.)

Volume 5 also has 20 pages worth of previously-unseen memos from the third season of Babylon 5.

So let's have the final run-down, shall we?

• The Fall of Night -- the Second Season cliffhanger/finale.
• Matters of Honor -- the Original Draft, containing the story of the Babylon Project Founder coming to B5 for the first time.
• Matters of Honor -- the Production Draft of the Third Season Debut Episode.
• Convictions -- containing what is arguably the funniest scene in all of Babylon 5, in which Londo and G'Kar find themselves trapped in an elevator that is about to kill both of them. (Why this is funny is anyone's guess.)
• A Day in the Strife -- One of the better regarded slice-of-life episodes from the series.
• Passing Through Gethsemane -- Which asks such metaphysical questions as, Where does justice end and revenge begin? Can someone mindwiped to forget his past really atone for his sins? And where on Babylon 5 can one get change for a hundred credit note after ten p.m.?
• Voices of Authority -- A visit by Draal and to Epsilon 3, an attempted seduction by Julie Musante of the Ministry of Peace, ancient races, first-contacts, discussions of the Vorlon god Boojie, and the question, "Zog? Zog what?" What more can anyone ask for in a Babylon 5 episode?
• Dust to Dust -- An intense Bester episode which, when produced, featured a bravura performance by Andreas Katsulas in the one episode that, more than anything else, set G'Kar on the path toward becoming a religious icon.

PLUS! -- 20 pages of JMS's memos AND FINALLY...a 57 page introduction and episodic commentary by JMS describing in detail for the first time:

• How he went about constructing the B5 season finales;
• The untold tales of his teenage "life of crime" and why it gave the Hugo award win so much more meaning;
• The day he turned down the possibility of seeing a naked lady in deference to a set of really well cooked baby-back ribs;
• How and why Jason Carter was hired as Marcus Cole;
• Detailed recollections of the Lunch Table Political Wars that daily roared through the Babylon 5 main stage
• How the elevator scene with Londo and G'Kar was filmed;
• And for the first time ever...the never-before-told story of the day that Babylon 5 almost came to a complete and total stop in the middle of season three. "The day we almost lost the show," as JMS describes it.

All this...and by far the single biggest volume to date. And we didn't even raise the price.

Not that we didn't think about it. But we've got integrity. We've got class.

And JMS has a sniper on the roof.

---

Publication Date: April 18, 2006
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Exogenesis
• Messages from Earth
• Point of No Return
• Severed Dreams
• Ceremonies of Light and Dark
• Sic Transit Vir
• A Late Delivery from Avalon

We're going to do this one straight. No, really, we are. Because this is a very crucial volume, in every sense of that word.

Volume 6 of the Babylon 5 scripts of J. Michael Straczynski begins with a lengthy and moving tribute to Andreas Katsulas. Deeply personal, and just as affecting, it's a glimpse into the revelations of those last days and how everyone, including the fans, pitched in to do everything possible.

This volume also includes the scripts for the most important trilogy of episodes in the third season (some might even say in the entire series) of Babylon 5: the Earth Civil War trilogy of "Messages from Earth," "Point of No Return," and "Severed Dreams," which became Babylon 5's second Hugo-winning episode.

In the episode commentaries -- the largest part of an original 17,000 word introduction written exclusively for this volume -- you will learn:

• What happened the day the Pentagon (and, later, the Secret Service) contacted Babylon 5;
• What "Exogenesis" has to do with Macbeth, 1950s horror movies, and what happened to turn the ending of that script into something that should be strapped to a concrete block and dropped off the end of the nearest pier;
• How and why the interior of the White Star (aka "that damned plucked chicken") was totally redesigned;
• The circumstances that led to Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, making an appearance on Babylon 5;
• The blow-up when "General Hague" was a no-show for "Severed Dreams," and the only-now-revealed story of what JMS did about it five years later...and the never-before-told story of how Bruce McGill was cast as his replacement in a way that took everyone by surprise, including JMS;
• The origin of the Minbari beds, the story behind Jerry Doyle's broken arm, how to defeat the Macbeth curse, how Lennier fell in love with Delenn, and how Ivanova came to express her affection for Talia;
• How even more of the strange Babylon 5 coincidences that surrounded production came back to haunt not just JMS but Jerry Doyle;
• Plus more behind-the-scenes photos and JMS's personal memos written during production, in this case dealing in particular with the creation of the opening title sequence, showing how the development was handled between composer, editors and JMS himself.

---

Publication Date: May 22, 2006
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Ship of Tears
• Interludes and Examinations
• War Without End, Part 1
• War Without End, Part 2
• Walkabout
• Grey 17 Is Missing
• And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place

You'd better sit down for this one. There's some very cool stuff coming your way, and we don't want anybody passing out and suing us when they fall down...especially when you get to the little surprises down the road and...no, of course we're not going to tell you about it here. Wouldn't be a surprise then, would it? If you really have to scroll down to find out what else is coming, fine, go ahead, break a mother's heart.

Okay, while they're gone, the rest of you...listen up. You've come on an auspicious occasion: the mid- point on what we have only recently learned is the most ambitious publishing endeavor in the history of print-on-demand. (No, we didn't know either, and don't tell jms, he'd probably burst into flames or something, and we hate it when that happens, just ruins the drapes.)

Seriously, it turns out that nobody in this publishing venue has ever tried something as massive as publishing one volume per month (more or less) with the goal of publishing nearly 6,300 words in 15 months. Never been done. And those 6,300 pages include a planned 800+ pages of original commentary and introduction, two books worth of material all by themselves, painting the most intimate picture to date of the making of a TV series from start to finish.

Good thing we didn't know that it was impossible when we started this, because if we'd known it was impossible, we...well, we probably would've done it anyway, but we wouldn't have gotten nearly as much sleep. (jms being again the exception, having not slept since 1968, when he dozed off momentarily during a presidential debate, which is, of course, what they're for, and what the heck were we talking about? Oh, right. Setting records.)

Volume 7 is the midway point in the (apparently historic) Babylon 5 scripts program, which includes 14 regular volumes. (The full purchase of which entitles you to the 15th volume free, which is chock full of stuff from JMS's vault and can not be bought separately.) That we've gotten this far is a tribute to the many fans who --

-- oh, we see that the folks who jumped ahead to the description have rejoined us. (Yes, we're monitoring your computer, including everything that's on your hard drive, and you should be ashamed of yourself.) Okay, now that everyone's on board...let's get down to the details of Volume 7.

Let's start with the 63-page introduction and commentary, written exclusively for this volume. What will you find waiting for you this month?

• How about an intimate -- in more ways than one -- description of the year that the Babylon 5 cast and crew began to descend into a near-mad level of eccentricity? Learn all about the previously-classified Breast Bowl...and its shortly-thereafter-hatched companion contest, the Butt Bowl...the practical jokes that began to take place more and more frequently on-set, including the "What's In Lyta's Box?" lingerie story, the day everyone in the cast decided to convince Jason Carter that his character was going to die in "Grey 17 is Missing," and --
• -- AND...the story of the day Andreas and Peter decided to pull one of the worst practical jokes in the history of the form on none other than jms...a practical joke which, down the road, would lead to a retaliation of near-mythic proportions.
• The Draal Complication Explained. Fan-favorite two-parter "War Without End" was originally written to heavily feature Draal, but had to be extensively revised when the actor was not available. The commentary examines each of the changes to the script that came about as a result, and how the two- parter was completely restructured in editing. Step by step, readers are taken through the editing process as the episodes are thrown up in the air to come down in vastly different form: the teaser and parts of part two becoming the end of part one, big changes to Sinclair's character, Delenn...possibly the most detailed look yet at the complete restructuring of an episode, invaluable for budding film-makers and people eager to win arguments in bars.
• Secrets of the Starfury design, and the day that NASA called, asking if they could borrow it, and a rather embarrassing secret of the Book of G'Quan.
• How to Create Alien Designs for Fun and Profit Using Color and Little Bits of Cloth.
• Buckets of behind-the-scenes information on the production of some of the most pivotal, fan-favorite episodes, including what happened to the Kosh encounter suit the day that character was no longer needed. (Viewer discretion advised.)
• The secret methods by which "War" was linked with "Babylon Squared," paying off threads from two years earlier whose meanings had quietly changed behind the scenes.
• A deeply personal story from jms about how he came up with the story for "Walkabout" based on his time in a religious cult and a tragic experience he endured shortly after.
• It had to happen...and about time...jms apologizes for "Grey 17" and explains exactly why it all ended up going into the toilet in quite the way it did.

All of THAT...in addition to the scripts, many of which contain material deleted from the final episodes.

In fact, as a SPECIAL BONUS for B5 fans, this volume incorporates the ORIGINAL DRAFT of the script for the two-part episode, "War Without End," which includes over a half-dozen wholly different scenes omitted from later drafts or radically changed when Draal was not available.

PLUS...10 pages of JMS's personal behind-the-scenes photos.

---

Publication Date: June 21, 2006
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Shadow Dancing
• Z'ha'dum
• The Hour of the Wolf
• Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
• The Summoning
• Falling Toward Apotheosis
• The Long Night

IN THIS VOLUME...the cliffhanger ending to Season Three, and the big season opening episodes for Season Four, considered the two most popular seasons in B5's history!

An original introduction and commentary written just for this volume detailing the dangers posed by the death of the PTEN network, and behind-the-scenes stories never told before, including how an accounting error came within an inch of utterly ending the Babylon 5 story after year three.

There's also a couple of memos, but most important of all, something new: in going through the B5 archives, jms discovered ALL OF THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT ART created by artist Peter Ledger used in selling B5. This was the VERY FIRST TIME that the Babylon 5 universe had been visualized, and many of the elements in that early concept art were carried across into the series.

Some of that artwork was used (in postage-stamp size) on a flyer from PTEN, but most of it has NEVER been seen, and the rest has never been seen properly, full-size. This volume includes FIFTEEN BLACK AND WHITE FULL PAGES of that original artwork, PLUS a color illustration on the back cover (subsequent volumes will also feature other full-color B5 concept art).

See parts of the B5 universe you've never seen before! Read scripts you've never read before! Learn things you never knew before about the colorful history and dangerous past of Babylon 5! All of this in Volume 8 of THE BABYLON 5 SCRIPTS OF J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI!

---

Publication Date: September 29, 2006
Format: Softcover

One war ends, another begins! Volume 9 of the Babylon 5 Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski brings you the end of the Shadow War, and the commencement, up-close and personal, of the Earth Civil War. Included in this volume you will get the following seven scripts -- count 'em, seven, not just one, like some others might do, we shouldn't name names, live in peace, we say, live long and prosper even...but still, we've got SEVEN -- scripts for these pivotal fourth season episodes.
SCRIPTS

• Into the Fire
• Epiphanies
• The Illusion of Truth
• Atonement
• Racing Mars
• Lines of Communication
• Conflicts of Interest

And as if that weren't enough -- and for some people it is, no names, just saying -- there's another original 51 page introduction with episodic commentaries that gives readers an inside-out view of the production of Babylon 5: a word-picture tour of the studio, a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes wrangling over DVDs and video releases, concerns over the end of B5 in its fourth year coming to a head, and an extensive look into the makings of these pivotal episodes.

PLUS...a collection of behind-the-scenes photos, JMS's own original outline for one of the Babylon 5 novels, never previously released, AND his outline for an arc of the Babylon 5 comic that shows the story of Valen, along with a partial B5 comics script by JMS!

All of this for considerably less than you would spend on an aircraft carrier, a cloned velociraptor, or a juicer. What more can you ask for?

---

Publication Date: February 28, 2007
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Rumors, Bargains and Lies
• Moments of Transition
• No Surrender, No Retreat
• The Exercise of Vital Powers
• The Face of the Enemy
• Intersections in Real Time (A Passing Shadow)
• Between the Darkness and the Light

Hot on the heels of the first screening at the February 2007 New York Comic Con of the director's video blogs for Babylon 5: The Lost Tales comes Volume 10, which might as well be called Babylon 5: The Lost Arc.

Read in more detail than ever announced what steps were taken to truncate the 5 year arc into 4 years at the request of Warner Bros...and the previously unknown back-room maneuvering underway to try and save that last important year.

Discover a lengthy memo to TNT for an ALTERNATE VERSION OF SEASON FIVE, with a whole new overarching story that would have been keyed to building the empire that was now the Interstellar Alliance.

Most startling of all, this volume contains a recently uncovered FULL LENGTH TREATMENT for the B5 sequel series JMS had proposed before Crusade, that was his first choice over what eventually became Crusade, a series that would have starred Sheridan, Delenn, G'Kar, Marcus, one of the Zathrii, and several others in a story set against the backdrop of the Alliance attempting to create interstellar peace.

And on the back cover, the full-color illustration done by artist Peter Ledger that showed, for the first time ever, what the interior of the Garden area of Babylon 5 would look like.

As if all that were not enough, add 56 pages of original introduction and commentary written just for this volume, AND the full, original production drafts for some of the most pivotal and fan-favorite episodes of Season Four.

(What's that you ask? What the heck is "A Passing Shadow" and how did this script transmute itself into "Intersections in Real Time" by way of one of the most amazing coincidences in television history? Get Volume 10 and find out.)

---

Publication Date: April 19, 2007
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Endgame
• Rising Star
• Sleeping in Light
• The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
• No Compromises
• The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari
• The Paragon of Animals

This is it. This is the motherlode. This is the volume everyone's been waiting for.

Because of a last-minute decision to continue telling the story of the making of BABYLON 5 in chronological order, and because "Sleeping in Light" was originally shot at the conclusion of season four, an executive decision was made (translation: we got a call from JMS) that it would be included in this volume.

So the seven scripts in Volume 11 contain the replacement season four finale, "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," the season five debut "No Compromises" AND the ultimate B5 episode, "Sleeping in Light," as well as "Endgame," which saw the birth of the Interstellar Alliance, "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari", "Rising Star" and "The Paragon of Animals."

In addition, and perhaps of greatest importance to those who have been waiting for the inside story on these events to be told in more detail than ever before, a 72 page, 23,000 word introduction, the longest yet, that describes everything that happened behind the scenes during the last minute doubts about, the campaigning for, and the final confirmation of a fifth season. Day by day, hour by hour, this introduction takes you right into the center of the action, the maneuvering, and the frantic, last-minute explosions that rocked the B5 universe down to its galactic core.

This, as they say...is the Big One.

---

Publication Date: September 18, 2007
Format: Softcover

Volume 12 includes another just-for-this volume JMS commentary 54 pages long which includes the final Christmas memo he wrote to the cast and crew in year 5 as well as commentaries on the following scripts:

• A View from the Gallery
• Learning Curve
• Strange Relations
• Secrets of the Soul
• In the Kingdom of the Blind
• A Tragedy of Telepaths
• Phoenix Rising

But wait. There's more.

As volume 12 was being prepped JMS discovered a box of archives that no one (including him) had seen in more than 13 years...B5 material he thought had been lost ages ago...material from the very first stages of creating B5... That box of archives was scanned for this volume and includes 20 pages worth of graphics and photos including:

• First alphabet and numerical systems for Narn and Minbari languages
• Photo of the never seen "Penisaurus" alien
• Concept drawing for living quarters communication system
• First designs for command logos-art deco style
• Concept designs for tech crew sub-divisions
• Detailed concept art for the security and medical patches/logos
• Concept art for the Battle of the Line medal
• Early versions of the B5 logo
• An early stylized alphabet - English
• Early generic emblems
• An alternate Earth Alliance emblem
• Concept art for the final EA patch/logo designs
• First detailed schematic of the station
• Concept art for locator signs
• First costume design sketches for Delenn, G'Kar and Londo Mollari
• Final designs for credit chit, EA access card and identicard
• First concept art for Kosh's encounter suit
• Photo of an early alien prosthetic design
• Photo of an early Drakh design
• Photo of a casting of Peter Jurasik's face and neck for use in creating the Londo prosthetic
• Photo of the central corridor/Zocalo taken the first day that JMS arrived on the B5 soundstage
• Photo of director Richard Compton and art director John Iacovelli on the council chamber set
• Only known photo of a proposed miniature set of the station's interior garden that was later abandoned
• Photo of the first sculpture of Kosh's head
• Photos of the final prosthetics designs for Delenn
• Photo of JMS with director Richard Compton
• Photos of early G'Kar prosthetic design
• Photo of JMS with Andreas the first time he wore the G'Kar prosthetic

---

Publication Date: January 23, 2008
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• The Ragged Edge
• The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father
• Meditations on the Abyss
• Darkness Ascending
• And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
• Movements of Fire and Shadow
• The Fall of Centauri Prime

With Volume 13 we hit the penultimate days of Babylon 5 and of the history-making B5 Scripts Collection.

This volume contains more commentaries describing what went right, and what went wrong, going into those final months...the inside scoop on actors, production, writing, hidden meanings and untold stories, in addition to behind-the-scenes photographs and never-before-published memos from season five.

---

Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• The Wheel of Fire
• Objects in Motion
• Objects at Rest
• In The Beginning
• BONUS: "In The Beginning" Producer's Notebook

It's here. Volume 14 of the 14-volume series which includes not only the last three scripts of the series, but the complete script of the Babylon 5 movie-for-television: "In the Beginning."

But wait. There's more.

You'll also get a replica of the highlights of J. Michael Straczynski's Producer's Notebook for "In the Beginning," including documents never released to fans such as the Storyboards, Shooting Schedule and One Line Schedule.

Volume 14 is also packed with more goodies, including the opening narration credit voice-over scripts, more exclusive photos and an appendix.

Yes, an appendix.

Now that you've got all 14 volumes, we figured it would be handy to have a catalog of everything in them, and, more importantly, where to find what you're looking for. So this section inventories every photo, concept art, memo, script fragment and other highlights with a succinct description and reference so you know in exactly which volume of the 14 to find each of them.

But wait. There's even more.

As if it couldn't get any better, also in this volume JMS is releasing a bit of "Sleeping in Light" Holy Grail: act one of the script he used while shooting which contains his handwritten director's notes, some set illustrations and set diagrams. As an extra treat, he's also including five pages from the production draft script of "Sleeping in Light" autographed by every member of the cast and most of the crew.

---

Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Format: Softcover

From J. Michael Straczynski:

"Here's the coolest part...as a gift for the fans...a FIFTEENTH volume will be given FREE to those who pick up the other 14. And what is IN this 15th volume, you ask?"

"Remember the lost script for "Soul Hunter," of which only 5 copies existed before I pulled them back, destroyed all but one copy for my files, and wrote a brand new script to replace it...all because it felt too much like a Star Trek script? Well, THAT one is in the free fifteenth volume. It also features a comic sub-plot concerning B5 being audited."

"As if THAT wasn't cool enough...nearly a YEAR before we began writing episode scripts, before we HAD the series commitment, WB wanted to see what a typical episode might look like. So I wrote a draft of "And the Sky, Full of Stars," one of our most important episodes, that is massively different from what we would later produce...including fantasy sequences with Knight Two as the proprieter of a dark carnival of sorts."

"It will also contain the Babylon 5 writers bible...the production draft of "The Gathering" as a companion to the original draft offered in volume one...and something very special."

"For over ten years, fans have asked "What would Babylon 5 have been like had Sinclair stayed?" Well, that question will be answered in this volume."

"After we finished the movie, but before we got the series going, WB asked to see a breakdown on this five-year arc thingie. So I wrote a six or seven page, single spaced outline of the ENTIRE FIVE YEARS with Sinclair still in place. The document makes for fascinating reading when compared with the series as it developed. NOT ONLY THAT, but the same document has a brief outline for A POTENTIAL BABYLON 5 SEQUEL SERIES, which would have been entitled BABYLON PRIME."

"Finally, by popular request, the nearly-legendary alternate version of the script for "The Exercise of Vital Powers" containing the Londo/G'Kar seduction scene, written in as an elaborate practical joke on the actors, will also be included."

"Again, that's what will go out FREE OF CHARGE to those who pick up the full set. And when I say free, I mean free. Even postage and handling will be covered (including international fans). All you have to do is mail in your proof of purchase."

"While obviously all these volumes can be purchased a la carte for those who don't want all the scripts, this fifteenth volume will ONLY be sent out free, it cannot be purchased directly."

— J. Michael Straczynski

FREE VOLUME 15 GOOD NEWS #1

Are you sitting down?

Last week, we were having our regular pow-wow with J. Michael Straczynski, detailing the production status of Volume 15. This is when JMS told us that while he was adding one big, bonus piece of content (which you'll read about in Good News #2), he also wanted to do something extra special for the fans as a thank you for their patience and loyalty to the script books.

"You could sign them," we replied in unison, half-chuckling, as if JMS would lock himself up for weeks to sign every Volume 15.

"That's what I was thinking," he replied.

Stunned silence. We knew he wasn't kidding.

So that's what he's doing. Right now. As you read this. Signing.

Actually, to be more specific, he's signing the title page of each book, and the signed title page will be bound with the rest of the pages for Volume 15.

To do this, we paused production on Volume 15, dispatched a FedEx convoy that arrived at an undisclosed location -- fondly referred to by the team as the "Signing Bunker" -- and off-loaded box after box after box after box of these title pages.

Signing stations were set-up throughout the Signing Bunker. Each station has a table with a stack of title pages and a fresh-out-of- the-box pile of red Sharpie pens. If you were to climb up on a ladder all you'd see is row after row of these signing stations and, a speck at one of them, hunched over.

(Important note: J. Michael Straczynski is signing his name only. In other words, these aren't personally inscribed, meaning that they don't include a inscription such as "To John". If you would like JMS to inscribe your book, he's happy to do that during signings at his personal appearances.)

Once JMS is done signing all the title pages, the FedEx convoy will return to haul the pages back across country to Cafepress, who will reunite the signed title pages with the rest of Volume 15's contents, and then bind them.

We expect the whole process to take about 21 days -- give or take a little.

Because Volume 15 is being shipped with Volume 14, we are holding the shipping of all Volume 14s until we have the signed Volume 15s bound and ready. Despite the slight shipping delay, you can still order Volume 14 today, and as soon as Volume 15 is done, both will be shipped together to those folks who have completed and submitted their proof of purchase form.

So that's the first big piece of good news. Your Volume 15 will arrived SIGNED.

FREE VOLUME 15 GOOD NEWS #2

The second good news item is that JMS has added a new goodie to Volume 15 that he describes as "the most staggering document to appear in any of these volumes. A Rosetta Stone, if you will, to the whole series of script books."

This Rosetta Stone is called "Joe Cuts."

Joe Cuts is an inventory of every variation between all 92 scripts in the 14-volume series and what you've seen on the DVDs. In other words, a script archivist compared every single line of every single script to what is in the episode on DVD, and itemized those differences, line by line, shot by shot, scene by scene.

Here's an example of one entry:

This is just one of 526 entries in the inventory. 526. This is why it took 160 hours to compile and why it runs 70 pages.

So if your "things to do before I die" list includes watching every episode on the DVDs along with the scripts from this 14- volume series to spot the differences, you've just been given a chunk of your life back.

---

Publication Date: May 15, 2008
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• "Born to the Purple" by Larry DiTillio
• "The War Prayer" by D.C. Fontana
• "DeathWalker" by Larry DiTillio
• "Believers" by David Gerrold
• "Survivors" by Marc Scott Zicree
• "Grail" by Christy Marx

PLUS A SPECIAL BONUS:
David Gerrold's complete outline for "Laser-Mirror-Starweb," a never-produced, never-seen episode of Babylon 5.

All scripts include an introduction/commentary by the writers written exclusively for these volumes revealing how the stories came to be, why these writers made the choices they did, what it was like to write for the Babylon 5 universe, and, most important, what you didn't see.

A sample of what you'll discover in Volume 1:

• Why "dust" was originally introduced in "Born to the Purple," but then taken out.
• What novel inspired Garibaldi's cat and mouse game with Ivanova in "Born to the Purple."
• The identity of Londo's real alter-ego.
• What mistake was made in "Born to the Purple" that was corrected in "TKO."
• Which character originally had six gill-like slots at the base of their back.
• Revealed -- the real reason the Romeo and Juliet lovers appear in "The War Prayer."
• Why DeathWalker is female.
• Who was originally supposed to play Abbutt in "DeathWalker."
• Why, while writing "Believers," David Gerrold called J. Michael Straczynski in the middle of the night to tell him "You son of a bitch."
• What Andreas Katsulas confided to writer Marc Scott Zicree.
• Why the director of "Grail" spent most of his time fuming during the filming.

Volume 1 also includes four photos from Christy Marx's private collection, taken during the filming of "Grail."

Even better, most of the included scripts are early drafts that include never-before-seen dialogue and action that were later cut from the episodes.

Because there are so many differences, you also get the Script/DVD Variations inventory, which catalogues all the changes, deletions, additions and extras that were in the script but you never actually got to see in a handy, easy-to-reference grid. If you are one of the lucky ones with a Volume 15 from The Babylon 5 Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, you'll recognize this as being nearly identical to Joe Cuts.

Volume 1 has a total of 20 pages detailing 165 of these B5 Script/DVD variations you probably never knew.

Hidden plot details, secrets of the production finally revealed along with never-before-heard stories of the cast....and what it is really like to work with series creator J. Michael Straczynski.

COLLECTORS TAKE NOTE: All the volumes in the Other Voices series are designed to aesthetically complement your J. Michael Straczynski 14-volume series.

Volume 1 is part of a 3-volume limited edition release that will be only be available through September 30, 2008.

EPISODE SYNOPSES

"Born to the Purple" by Larry DiTillio
Londo's affair with dancer Adira Tyree jeopardizes his status on Centauri Prime; Garibaldi doggedly tracks unauthorized transmissions back to Ivanova; Sinclair gets to know Talia better while negotiating a settlement between the Narn and the Centauri in the Euphrates sector.

"The War Prayer" by D.C. Fontana
An attack on a Minbari poet highlights continuing anti-alien sentiment on the station; Londo assists a Centauri Romeo and Juliet; Ivanova's ex-boyfriend tries to recruit her and Sinclair for a radical organization.

"DeathWalker" by Larry DiTillio
Kosh hires Talia for a business matter but scans and records her mind for her most upsetting memories; Dilgar war criminal Jha'dur offers the major races an immortality serum that requires the death of one person for each dose manufactured.

"Believers" by David Gerrold
An alien couple and their son who needs life-saving surgery cause Franklin to struggle with an ethical dilemma of an alien religion; Raiders threaten a starliner headed for Babylon 5.

"Survivors" by Marc Scott Zicree
An advance security team scouts Babylon 5 in preparation for President Santiago's visit, which includes an old friend of Garibaldi's who brings back hard memories; Garibaldi is framed for sabotaging the station. These two events drive him to drink again.

"Grail" by Christy Marx
Seeker Aldous Gajic comes to Babylon 5 in his ongoing quest to find the Holy Grail; Lurkers fall prey to an unknown menace DownBelow, mistakenly believed to be Ambassador Kosh.

---

Publication Date: June 13, 2008
Format: Softcover

>SCRIPTS

• "By Any Means Necessary" by Kathryn M. Drennan
• "TKO" by Larry DiTillio
• "Eyes" by Larry DiTillio
• "Legacies" by D.C. Fontana
• "A Distant Star" by D.C. Fontana
• "Spider in the Web" by Larry DiTillio

All scripts include an introduction/commentary by the writers, written exclusively for these volumes.

A sample of what you'll discover in Volume 2:

• Why Sinclair is prominently featured in both the A and B stories in "By Any Means Necessary."
• What side of G'Kar was explored for the first time in "By Any Means Necessary" and becomes central to B5 mythology.
• What previous episode inspired the G'Kar/Londo storyline in "By Any Means Necessary."
• Find out what the inspiration was for the mind-altering G'Quan Eth.
• What writer Kathryn M. Drennan thought was a private joke that apparently all the fans knew.
• How the episode "By Any Means Necessary" got its name and specifically which historical strike was the basis for the story.
• What writer Kathryn M. Drennan considers her two "small but proud" contributions to Babylon 5.
• Never before revealed: the complete original premise for "By Any Means Necessary"
• Learn which actor, seen as an alien in "TKO," was recast as a human in "Ceremonies of Light and Dark."
• What was the model for the Mutai in "TKO."
• Why in "TKO's" Act 1 Ivanova is listening to jazz, reading a book.
• Revealed: which scene Larry DiTillio says he "wrote and rewrote 100 times."
• Witness the script writing process in progress. The included draft of "TKO" is a reprint of Larry DiTillio's actual writer's draft complete with handwritten notes.
• Why Larry DiTillio refers to "Eyes" as a "protracted gabfest."
• Which actor caused "infinite delays" while shooting "Eyes" and why.
• Which actors Larry DiTillio nicknamed "Crazy Men at Large."
• Exposed -- the Great Motorcycle flap.
• Learn what Tuckerization is and how it found it's way into "Eyes."
• Which American president's funeral inspired "Legacies."
• Why writer D.C. Fontana uses "Legacies" as a teaching tool in her writing classes.
• What was J. Michael Straczynski's one request for "Spider in the Web" and what he originally called it.
• Find out how Kathryn M. Drennan and Larry DiTillio balanced the portrayal of the regular characters with the guest characters.
• What action was cut from "The War Prayer" that was finally seen in "Legacies."
• Detailed -- D.C. Fontana's "very personal references."
• Find out what gift from J. Michael Straczynski D.C. Fontana wears everyday.

Just like previous volumes, the scripts included in Volume 2 are early drafts that include never-before-seen dialogue and action that were later cut from the episodes.

Because there are so many differences, you also get the Script/DVD Variations inventory, which catalogues all the changes, deletions, additions and extras that were in the script but you never actually got to see in a handy, easy-to-reference grid.

Volume 2 has a total of 140 entries detailing these B5 Script/DVD variations you probably never knew.

Volume 2 is part of a 3-volume limited edition release that will only be available through September 30, 2008.

VOLUME 2 EPISODE SYNOPSES

"By Any Means Necessary"
An accident is the catalyst for an illegal strike by dock workers. A strike negotiator sent from Earth causes tensions to escalate. Londo has the only plant G'Kar can use for an important religious ceremony.

"TKO"
Walker Smith, a friend of Garibaldi's, participates in the Mutai, which causes Smith to have a newfound respect for alien ways. Rabbi Koslov brings Ivanova a legacy from her father; Ivanova allows herself to mourn her father's death.

"Eyes"
Sinclair is the focus of an internal investigation. Ivanova refuses to submit to a scan by the Psi Corps, even if it means she has to resign her commission. Garibaldi gets too much help from Lennier in building his motorcycle.

"Legacies"
When the body of a revered Minbari military leader mysteriously disappears, Sinclair has to overcome his feelings about the Earth-Minbari War to keep the peace. Talia and Ivanova both try to influence a young telepath coming into her powers.

"A Distant Star"
The Explorer Class ship Cortez stops over for resupply, bringing an old friend of Sheridan's who shares stories of exploring the Rim with the crew. Later, an accident aboard the Cortez leaves it stranded in hyperspace unless Zeta Squadron can rescue it.

"Spider in the Web"
A pro-Mars independence businessman, a good friend of Talia's, is murdered during negotiations. The Mars representative is taken hostage by the businessman's murderer. Sheridan realizes that the murderer is a victim of the Lazarus Project.

---

Publication Date: July 15, 2008
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• "The Long Dark" by Scott Frost
• "Soul Mates" by Peter David
• "There All the Honor Lies" Peter David
• "Gropos" by Larry DiTillio
• "Knives" by Larry DiTillio
• "Day of the Dead" by Neil Gaiman

All scripts include an introduction/commentary by the writers, written exclusively for these volumes. A sample of what you'll discover in Volume 3:

• What Scott Frost believes is less-than-perfect about Cirrus's character.
• Why Peter David wrote "Soul Mates" even though J. Michael Straczynski said "no."
• From on-the-set: Peter David details his perspective of the different acting styles of Bruce Boxleitner and Andreas Katsulas.
• Find out which actor wore their make-up home on Halloween to answer the door for trick-or-treaters.
• Why all the actors were barefoot in "Soul Mates"...and why it was specifically written that G'Kar had his boots on.
• Revealed for the first time ever -- read all about the night that Bruce Boxleitner referred to his character as Sinclair...and Peter David's inside theory on why he did.
• The story of the legendary Babylon 5 bear told in captivating detail including how the bear war began, the alien race Strazyn, and how a final retribution was thwarted.
• Peter David's one, final regret about "There All the Honor Lies."
• Find out which line of dialogue Mira Furlan "despised with the fiery passion of a thousand suns" and why this line might be the most important revelation of the episode it's in.
• What actor Jerry Doyle was miffed that Londo got to do that Garibaldi had not...and how Jerry's real life past came back to the set in "Gropos."
• Who was originally cast as Dr. Franklin's father.
• What inspired "Knives" to open with Londo and Vir discussing opera.
• The tale behind the dramatic changes in Sheridan's story line in "Knives"...and what was written out and the scenes not shot that later prompted writer Larry DiTillio to ask himself "what was I thinking?"
• Find out what Larry DiTillio always bought 5 pounds of for the crew when shooting his scripts.
• Discover why Andreas Katsulas refused to go to sci-fi conventions.
• Read the version of "Day of the Dead" with a talking Zooty.
• The line of dialogue that Neil Gaiman refers to as "astoundingly awful" which, to his relief, was edited out as well as one of his "favorite TV moments."

Volume 3 also includes --

• A 47 page guide to the Alien Races of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds which details as many as 21 characteristics and history including each race's homeworld, height, weight, hair, limbs, reproductive methods, skin colors, special powers, governments, religions, social structure, economics technology, military power, recreation, art forms, alliances and enemies. This 13,000 word "bible" covers the Abbai, Brakiri, Drazi, Grome, Hurr, Hyach, Llort, Markab, pak'ma'ra and Yolu and also includes a short Centauri/Minbari/Narn glossary.
• A brief introduction by J. Michael Straczynski for Neil Gaiman's "Day of the Dead"

(Note: J. Michael Straczynski's introduction to "Day of the Dead" and Neil Gaiman's script are reprinted from the 1998 "Day of the Dead: A Babylon 5 Script book")

Just like previous volumes, the scripts included in Volume 3 are early drafts.

Because there are so many differences, you also get the Script/DVD Variations inventory, which catalogues all the changes, deletions, additions and extras that were in the script but you never actually got to see in a handy, easy-to-reference grid.

Volume 3 has a total of 81 entries detailing these B5 Script/DVD variations you probably never knew.

VOLUME 3 EPISODE SYNOPSES

"The Long Dark"
An exploration ship from Earth's past arrives carrying one survivor. Dr. Franklin befriends Mariah Cirrus as she copes with being thrust into the future. A lurker helps Garibaldi hunt for the creature that preyed on him.

"Soul Mates"
Londo's three wives come to Babylon 5 and Londo announces his plan to divorce two of them. Then, after an assassination attempt, one of Londo's wives is the only person who can help save him. Talia's former husband wants her to leave the Psi Corps to be with him.

"Gropos"
Dr. Franklin's father arrives at Babylon 5 bringing 25,000 soldiers that need to be billeted. Keffer and Garibaldi bond with some of the soldiers who don't know that they're headed for action to stop a civil war.

"There All the Honor Lies"
Sheridan kills a Minbari in an allegedly unprovoked attack and is suspected of murder. Lennier investigates the accusations. A B5 merchandise shop opens to help increase the station's budget.

"Knives"
An old friend of Londo's asks him for help when the Centaurum declares him a traitor, and then challenges Londo to a duel when he learns of Londo's association with Refa. Sheridan starts hallucinating after finding a dead alien in DownBelow.

"Day of the Dead"
The Brakiri purchase a section of the station for their holiday that honors the dead. Lochley, Londo, Garibaldi and Lennier all encounter visitors from beyond the grave. Rebo and Zooty visit Babylon 5.

---

Publication Date: January 30, 2009
Format: Softcover

SCRIPTS

• Thirdspace
• The River of Souls
• The Legend of the Rangers
• The Lost Tales

These TV Movie scripts are twice the length of a single episode of Babylon 5 and are the page count equivalent of EIGHT episodic scripts making it the second biggest book ever with more than 450 pages!

ALL THAT PLUS THESE SPECIAL BONUSES

• The included version of The Legend of the Rangers is an early draft that is 20 pages longer than the script that was filmed, which means you get to read scenes and exchanges of dialogue that never made it to the screen.
• Exhumed from Joe's vault, a 3-page fragment of an outline detailing the premise for a Psi Corps feature film. Focusing on The Telepath War, and appropriately titled "Wars of the Mind," JMS' notes reveal the background of the conflict -- teeps vs. teeps, the cast of characters -- including the identity of the Interstellar Alliance's Vice President, and the explosive deaths of two B5 regulars -- something hinted at, but never stated in an official series document.
• The lost tale from The Lost Tales. Did you know that there were originally three lost tales, not two? The middle segment, never produced due to production considerations, featured Michael Garibaldi making a startling discovery on Mars. Only a handful of people involved in the production have ever read this script, but now you can enjoy this "lost" installment.
• The original short story on which The Lost Tales segment "Over Here" was based. It's called "The Darkness Between the Stars" and was originally published in the now out-of-print seventh issue of The Book of Dark Wisdom (Fall 2005). See how JMS adapts a story from one medium to another and witness a different ending than the one that concludes the B5 version.
• J. Michael Straczynski's personal, behind-the-scenes photos taken on the set of The Lost Tales and The Legend of the Rangers -- included in these 36 images are the last pictures taken of Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar.

YES, WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED "JOE CUTS"

Because there are many differences between the scripts and what you see on the DVDs, you also get the Script/DVD Variations inventory, which catalogs all the changes, deletions, and additions that were made as the stories traveled from script to screen. It's all in this handy, easy-to-reference grid, just like the ones in JMS' Volume 15 and the Other Voices series.

The TV Movie book includes 12 pages of "Joe Cuts" chronicling 78 of these variations exposing B5 data you never knew.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

Instead of episode analysis, J. Michael Straczynski answers frequently asked questions about each of the TV movies. Here's just a sample of what you'll discover:

• How JMS had to "spread the cast" over the movies and how that affected the stories.
• What one theme JMS finds most intriguing about the Babylon 5 universe.
• How much Lyta knew about Vorlon history.
• Why Thirdspace is set after the Shadow war.
• Learn about H.P. Lovecraft's influences on JMS in general and Thirdspace specifically.
• A detailed description of JMS's headspace when writing The River of Souls after he had just said goodbye to B5 with the final episodes of season five.
• What drew JMS back to the Soul Hunter idea after five years and 90 teleplays.
• How Joe crafted The River of Souls to explore the archaeological science fiction ideas that would later be found in Crusade.
• Why Lieutenant Corwin gets a bigger spotlight in The River of Souls.
• How the Love Bat came to be.
• How The River of Souls relates to the essential B5 question of "Who are you?"
• What it was like to work with Martin Sheen and what he felt everyone he met should involve themselves in.
• Why the Rangers of LotR were supposed to learn about "dying for the One."
• How The Hand was differed from the the Shadows in the grand scheme of things.
• Reflection from JMS about his days on the Ranger set with Andreas Katsulas, the very last time he would be Citizen G'Kar.
• Londo's intention in sending Vintari to Sheridan in The Lost Tales.
• What it was like being in the Babylon 5 universe during The Lost Tales after so many years had passed.
• How the alliance got the quantum space technology from the Vorlons.
• Who was first in line to succeed Londo (remember that Vir was second in line and Vintari was third).
• Why JMS decided to base one of The Lost Tales on his short story "The Darkness Between the Stars" (note that the original short story is also included as a bonus).

IMPORTANT NOTE TO COLLECTORS

The TV Movie book was designed to complement your J. Michael Straczynski 14-volume series. It is printed in black with no volume number. We even made sure the wording on the spines aligns accordingly, so that you can put it on the shelf at either the beginning of your series, after volume 14 or after volume 15 and still have a uniform look.