Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, Volume 4

Front Cover of Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, Volume 4
Front Cover
Back Cover of Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, Volume 4
Back Cover

 

Publication Date: February 11, 2006
Retire Date: June 30, 2008
Pages: 436
Format: Softcover

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

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

Index

ABC (American Broadcasting Company) – page 20

AIDS – page 35

Alexander, Lyta – pages 37-39

Alexander, Wayne – page 54

Aling, Ann Bruice – pages 6-7

America – page 53

America's Most Wanted – page 4

"And Now for a Word" – Commentary (pages 19-24)

"And the Sky, Full of Stars" – "Festival!" Intro

AOL (America Online) – pages 21, 40

Aquinas, Thomas – page 34

Babylon 5 (Station) – page 1

Barnett, Joseph – page 52

Barnett, Samuel (Mrs.) – pages 52, 56

Barnett, Samuel (Reverend) – pages 51-53, 56

Battle of Gorash 7 – pages 44-45

Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) – page 21

Beaudine, Skip – pages 8-9

Biggs, Richard – pages 4, 23, 28-31

Biggs family – pages 29-31

Black Death (Black Plague) – page 35

bombardment of Narn – pages 45, 48

Boxleitner, Bruce – pages 27, 31-32, 47

Burrell, Everett – page 7

Casey, Bernie – page 15

Centauri – page 48

CGI (computer-generated imagery) – pages 13-14, 21-22, 32, 44-45

Champion, Fern – page 7

Chater, Elizabeth – page 3

Christian, Claudia – pages 14, 23

coffee – page 14

"Comes the Inquisitor" – Commentary (pages 51-58)

"Confessions and Lamentations" – Commentary (pages 33-36)

Copeland, John – pages 8-10

Corwin, Norman – page 14

Cotto, Vir – pages 25, 31

Cox, Joshua – pages 14, 23

Cramer, Mary Ann – "Festival!" Intro

Crusade (TV series) – page 30

DayQuil – page 14

Delenn – pages 28, 33-35, 48, 55-57

Dickens, Charles – page 4

"Divided Loyalties" – Commentary (pages 37-41)

Doyle, Jerry – pages 14, 38-39

Draal – pages 47-48

Earthgov – pages 26-27

editing – pages 54-55, 57

Elijah – page 34

Ellerbee, Linda – pages 2, 55

Emmy Awards – page 1

encounter suit – page 14

England – page 53

Epsilon 3 – pages 47-48

"Faith manages" – page 35

FCC (Federal Communications Commission) – page 24

First Ones – page 1

flarn – page 34

Flinn, John C., III – page 9

Foundation (religion) – page 28

Foundation Imaging – page 7

Franke, Christopher – pages 45-46

Franklin, Stephen – pages 16, 25, 30

Furlan, Mira – page 57

G'Kar – pages 3, 24, 28, 44-45, 48, 54

Gandhi, Mohandas – page 34

Garibaldi, Michael – pages 15-16

Gathering, The (Babylon 5 pilot) – page 1

Great Maker – page 3

Hello, Dolly (musical) – page 47

Henry, Carol – page 5

Hiroshima – page 48

Holly, Kim – page 7

"Hunter, Prey" – Commentary (pages 13-17)

Huse, Linda – page 7

hypertext links – pages 20-21

Iacovelli, John – page 6

"Illusion of Truth, The" – page 19

"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" – Commentary (pages 25-32)

influenza – page 14

IPX (Interplanetary Expeditions) – page 23

Ironheart, Jason – page 37

Ivanova, Susan – pages 38-39, 41

Jack the Ripper – pages 51-53, 56

Jacobs, Everett – page 15

JMS No-Action Figure – page 4

Johnsen, George – pages 7, 9

Jones, Mr. (unused Babylon 5 character) – "Festival!" Intro

Jurasik, Peter – pages 31, 43-45, 48

Katsulas, Andreas – pages 44, 48

Kennedy, John F. – page 43

Kim, Daniel Dae – page 30

Kosh – pages 14-16, 32, 37, 39

Kosh's ship – pages 13-14

Laseter, Curtis – page 6

Lazarenn – page 33

Lennier – page 34

"Long, Twilight Struggle, The" – Commentary (pages 43-49)

Lorien – page 54

Los Angeles Herald Examiner – page 19

Los Angeles Times – page 19

Maday, Gregg – page 7

Markab – pages 33-36

Michelangelo – page 33

Minbari – page 34

Minbari head-bones – page 48

MiniPax – page 26

Ministry of Peace – page 26

Ministry of Public Morale – page 26

Mollari, Londo – pages 24, 31, 43-45, 48

Morden – pages 25, 27, 31

Mumy, Bill – page 34

music – pages 45-46

Nagasaki, Japan – page 48

Narn (homeworld) – page 44

Narn (species) – pages 1, 48

Narn/Centauri War – page 25

Nazi Germany – pages 27, 48

Netter, Douglas – pages 7, 9-10

New Mexico – page 53

Night Watch – page 27

Nightline – page 20

Optic Nerve – page 7

Orwell, George – page 26

"Parliament of Dreams, The" – "Festival!" Intro

Penthouse Magazine – page 19

Psi Corps – page 23

PTEN (Prime Time Entertainment Network) – pages 20, 36

Rangers – page 15

"riding the elephant" – page 2

Rosencranz, Roland – page 6

"run-and-jump" – page 16

San Diego Magazine – page 19

San Diego Reader – page 19

San Diego State University – page 3

Santiago, Luis – page 13

Scotland Yard – page 52

Sebastian, Mr. – pages 55-57

Shadow vessels – page 44

Shadow War (23rd century) – pages 15, 38-39

Shadows (Shadowmen) – pages 32, 55

Sheppard, W. Morgan – page 48

Sheridan, John – pages 15-16, 24-25, 27, 31-32, 34, 47

Silent Meal – page 34

Slater, Mary Jo – page 7

sound effects – pages 45-46

sound mix – page 46

Spitalfields – pages 51-52

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – page 39

stims – page 25

subliminal advert – pages 23-24

surround-sound – page 46

Synanon – page 55

Takashima, Laurel – page 30

Tallman, Patricia – pages 37, 39-40

Tech #1 – page 14

telekinesis – page 37

telepathy – page 37

Teresa, Mother – page 34

Thompson, Andrea – pages 31, 37-39

TIME, Inc. – page 19

Times, The – page 52

Tomita, Tamlyn – page 30

Universe Today – page 40

Valen – page 34

virtual set – page 20

Vorlon (species) – pages 1, 15, 32, 39, 55

Vulich, John – page 7

Walters, Mark – page 6

Warner Bros. – pages 21, 36-37

Winters, Talia – pages 31, 37-39, 41

World War Two (WWII) – page 48

Writing SF (college course) – page 3

X-Ray Specs – page 20

Yugoslavia – page 57

Z'ha'dum (planet) – page 32

Zócalo – page 41