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

Front Cover

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
