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

Front Cover

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