Babylon 5: The Gathering, the pilot film for what would eventually become the
Babylon 5 television series. The show arguably changed the way narrative television works, and
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also changed the rules for TV creators by actively engaging his fanbase online during the show s production.
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Straczynski s online discussions reveal how drastically
Babylon 5 changed from its initial pilot to its actual premiere a year later. Archived and broken down by thread at JMSNews.com and by episode at The Lurker s Guide to Babylon 5, these discussions offer a rare and fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day evolution of an innovative television series. Indeed, Straczynski s diary of
Stardate: 46682.4
Captain’s Log. The
Enterprise has arrived at the Remmler Array for a maintenance procedure known as a baryon sweep it basically wipes away all the space gunk that’s accumulated over five years. Because the sweep is fatal to all organic matter, we open with the ship in a massive flurry of activity as folks prepare to evacuate. After Picard puts out some organizational fires stasis units for Crusher, opening a transporter for Troi to aid in evac, etc. he shares a turbolift with Data, who fills the silence with non-relevant conversation. Apparently, he has created a new small-talk subroutine, though Picard feels his current attempts are a little