Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, TV Movies

Front Cover of Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, TV Movies
Front Cover
Back Cover of Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, TV Movies
Back Cover

 

Publication Date: January 30, 2009
Retire Date: April 30, 2009
Pages: 453
Format: Softcover

Forever out of print.  There will be no new edition of the script books in ebook or hardcover.

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.

Index

Alexander, Lyta – Questions about Thirdspace, Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Allan, Zack – Questions about Thirdspace

Asmodeus – Questions about Lost Tales

Avatar (film) – Questions about Lost Tales

Barlowe, Wayne – Questions about Thirdspace

Cameron, James – Questions about Lost Tales

Cartagia – Questions about Lost Tales

CGI (computer-generated imagery) – Questions about Lost Tales

Chula Vista High School – Questions about Thirdspace

"Colour Out of Space, The" – Questions about Thirdspace

Conaway, Jeff – Questions about River of Souls

Corwin, David – Questions about River of Souls

Cotto, Vir – Questions about Lost Tales

Cox, Joshua – Questions about River of Souls

Crusade (TV series) – Questions about River of Souls, Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Cthulhu – Questions about Thirdspace

Dark Wisdom (magazine) – Questions about Lost Tales

"Darkness Between the Stars, The" – Questions about Lost Tales

Derleth, August – Questions about Thirdspace

Durla (Centauri Prime Minister) – Questions about Lost Tales

elder gods (H.P. Lovecraft) – Questions about Thirdspace

Franke, Christopher – Questions about Thirdspace

G'Kar – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Galen – Questions about Lost Tales

Great Machine of Epsilon 3 – Questions about Thirdspace

Hand, The (alien species) – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

holo-brothel – Questions about River of Souls

Ivanova, Susan – Questions about River of Souls

Katsulas, Andreas – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

King, Stephen – Questions about River of Souls

lawsuit (nuisance) – Questions about River of Souls

Legend of the Rangers, The (Babylon 5) – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Lennier – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Liandra – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Lochley, Elizabeth – Questions about River of Souls

Lost Tales, The (Babylon 5) – Questions about Lost Tales

Love Bat – Questions about River of Souls

Lovecraft, H.P. – Questions about Thirdspace, Questions about River of Souls

Massie, Elizabeth – Questions about Thirdspace

Mollari, Londo – Questions about Lost Tales

pleasure threshold – Questions about Thirdspace

Polaris (unproduced pilot) – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Psi Corps – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

quantum space – Questions about Lost Tales

"Ragged Edge, The" – Questions about River of Souls

Rangers – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

River of Souls, The (Babylon 5) – Questions about River of Souls

Sci-Fi Channel (SyFy) – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

sets – Questions about Lost Tales

Shadows (Shadowmen) – Questions about Thirdspace, Questions about Legend of the Rangers

Sheen, Martin – Questions about River of Souls

Sheridan, John – Questions about River of Souls, Questions about Lost Tales

Sinclair, Jeffrey – Questions about Thirdspace

Smith, Clark Ashton – Questions about Thirdspace

soul – Questions about River of Souls

Soul Hunter – Questions about River of Souls

"Soul Hunter" – Questions about River of Souls

Tallman, Patricia – Questions about River of Souls

Telepath Crisis – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

theremin – Questions about Thirdspace

Thirdspace (Babylon 5) – Questions about Thirdspace

TNT (Turner Network Television) – Questions about Legend of the Rangers

TV movies – Questions about Thirdspace

Valen – Questions about Thirdspace

Vintari, Dius – Questions about Lost Tales

virtual set – Questions about Lost Tales

Vorlon (species) – Questions about Thirdspace, Questions about Lost Tales

Vorlon (homeworld) – Questions about Lost Tales

Warner Bros. – Questions about Legend of the Rangers