• The new B5TV.COM is here. We've replaced our 16 year old software with flashy new XenForo install. Registration is open again. Password resets will work again. More info here.

My take on B5

Mercury

Member
Well after watching the whole show twice now, I have to say I simply love this show... The fact that it was all pre-written (or at least JMS knew exactly where he was going with it) allowed it to become something I've never seen before. I mean it's obvious that there were problems with the show being under the threat of cancellation but it's still an amazing saga. Watching it the second time only made the feeling stronger.

JMS built an amazing universe, with a few concepts that I simply love. The Vorlons and Shadows being ancient races that manipulated the younger races into thinking they are gods is a point I specifically love. It makes you think of religions today and how they came to be. This fits, and again, makes me think.

The whole concept of evolution, and that eventually a race evolves to a point where they need no solid body, they simply become a sort of life energy is inspired. This is why I loved "River of Souls" so much, I loved JMS's take on the subject.

The designs of the spaceships are...unbelievable. The first time I saw that First Ones ship with the colorful balls running around I was frickin shocked. It was so beautiful I nearly had cardiac arrest. Then there are the Shadow ships that although are simply based on spiders, they are beautifully built and definitely give the feeling that I believe JMS was looking for. Vorlon ship are amazing as well, although the red ones look a tad worse than the green ones. But in general, this is something I simply loved through out the whole show.

I could go on and on about this but I'll stop here and just add 2 more points that bother me:

1. The fall of Centauri Prime...I know it was the Drakh. That's it. I have no idea how or when exactly. All I know is that they had some influence on CP before Londo became emperor and what I saw when Sheriden was zapped forward in time...It's a real hole that needs to be filled (or maybe it was and I don't know...i understand there are books and such that I do not know).

2. Crusade - It's obvious that the budget was lower but that damn music.... It's like they let an indian go crazy with a rock. God it was awful and it bothered me through the whole show. It shouldn't cost THAT much to get a decent musician come up with some tunes. Loved it any other way.

I can just say I'm sorry that I didn't have these forums when the show was first aired. I can only imagine the debates after each episode and how much fun that would be :)
 
I could go on and on about this but I'll stop here and just add 2 more points that bother me:

1. The fall of Centauri Prime...I know it was the Drakh. That's it. I have no idea how or when exactly. All I know is that they had some influence on CP before Londo became emperor and what I saw when Sheriden was zapped forward in time...It's a real hole that needs to be filled (or maybe it was and I don't know...i understand there are books and such that I do not know).

The Centauri Trilogy "Legions of Fire" gets into this in detail, and it even touches upon "A Call to Arms" and Crusade. Here are the good books:

Title: Book #7 The Shadow Within
Author: Cavelos, Jeanne
Timeframe: 11/2256 - 01/2257
Isbn1: 0-440-22348-2
Copyright1: April 1997
Publisher1: Dell
Isbn2: 0-345-45218-6
Copyright2: December 2002
Publisher2: DelRey

Title: Book #9 To Dream in the City of Sorrows
Author: Drennan, Kathryn M.
Timeframe Marcus in 10/2260, recalling events of 1/2259-9/2260.
Isbn1: 0-440-22354-7
Copyright1: July 1997
Publisher1: Dell
Isbn2: 0-345-45219-4
Copyright2: July 2003
Publisher2: DelRey

Title: Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps
Author: Keyes, J. Gregory
Timeframe: 2115-2189
Isbn1: 0-345-42715-7
Copyright1: October 1998
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant
Author: Keyes, J. Gregory
Timeframe: 2189-2258
Isbn1: 0-345-42716-5
Copyright1: March 1999
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester
Author: Keyes, J. Gregory
Timeframe: 2271-2281
Isbn1: 0-345-42717-3
Copyright1: October 1999
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: Legions of Fire - Book I - The Long Night of Centauri Prime
Author: David, Peter
Timeframe: ~10/2262-12/2266. Dates corrected to line up with A Call to Arms and Crusade.
Isbn1: 0-345-42718-1
Copyright1: December 1999
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: Legions of Fire - Book II - Armies of Light and Dark
Author: David, Peter
Timeframe: 12/14/2266-04/18/2272. Dates corrected to line up with A Call to Arms and Crusade.
Isbn1: 0-345-42719-X
Copyright1: May 2000
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: Legions of Fire - Book III - Out of the Darkness
Author: David, Peter
Timeframe: 05/14/2273-01/21/2277. Dates corrected to line up with A Call to Arms and Crusade.
Isbn1: 0-345-42720-3
Copyright1: November 2000
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Book I - Casting Shadows
Author: Cavelos, Jeanne
Timeframe: 11/2258-12/31/2258
Isbn1: 0-345-42721-1
Copyright1: March 2001
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Book II - Summoning Light
Author: Cavelos, Jeanne
Timeframe: 1/2259-2/2259
Isbn1: 0-345-42722-X
Copyright1: July 2001
Publisher1: DelRey

Title: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Book III - Invoking Darkness
Author: Cavelos, Jeanne
Timeframe: 8/2260-2261
Isbn1: 0-345-43833-7
Copyright1: December 2001
Publisher1: DelRey


2. Crusade - It's obvious that the budget was lower but that damn music.... It's like they let an indian go crazy with a rock. God it was awful and it bothered me through the whole show. It shouldn't cost THAT much to get a decent musician come up with some tunes. Loved it any other way.

While the music was different from Christopher Franke's B5 music, and I didn't care much for it at first, only one or two parts stick out to me as being truly awful (e.g. the noise at the end of "Ruling from the Tomb" - the dog barking, baby crying, other misc. crap, etc.). The rest has grown on me, and seems to add just the right alien/foreign feel. I like the theme, and the parts that sound like flute. Also, Chen[1] sometimes has a good beat that adds impetus to the story. When watching Crusade now, having watched it all the way through about 10 times, it's hard for me to listen and try to pinpoint the bits of bad music, because I'm drawn into the story and forget I was supposed to be paying attention to the music. :rolleyes:


[1] Evan Chen, a chinese-born classical composer with a strong jazz background.
http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/113.html

Boy, reading that page on The Lurker's Guide makes me long for the good ol' days before TNT reared it's ugly, inbred head. :(
 
Last edited:
Wow thats a big list....I thought there might be like 3 or 4 books...thats just insane.

Three Trilogies, and 2 stand alone books that are really good, and mostly canon. There's also 7 other books, not nearly as good, nor as canon
 
Wow thats a big list....I thought there might be like 3 or 4 books...thats just insane.

There are 21 B5 books, Dell 1 thru 9, of which only 7 & 9 are good (canon), the three DelRey trilogies, all of which are very good to excellent, and the three novelizations (In the Beginning and Thirdspace, which are worth a look, and A Call to Arms which is so-so.).

There are also six short stories:


SHORT STORIES (all out of print, both magazines out of business):

Title: The Shadow of His Thoughts
Author: Straczynski, J. M.
Timeframe: 10/2262
Ss_pub_in: Amazing Stories
Ss_issue: Summer 1999, Number 597
Ss_commnts: The Londo Story

Title: Genius Loci
Author: Straczynski, J. M.
Timeframe: 01/2263
Ss_pub_in: Amazing Stories
Ss_issue: Winter 2000, Number 599
Ss_commnts: The Lyta / G'Kar Story

Title: Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic
Author: Straczynski, J. M.
Timeframe: 2560-2592
Ss_pub_in: Amazing Stories
Ss_issue: Summer 2000, Number 602
Ss_commnts: The Marcus / Ivanova Story

Title: Hidden Agendas
Author: Straczynski, J. M.
Timeframe: 2262
Ss_pub_in: Babylon 5/Crusade Magazine
Ss_issue: May 2000, Number 22
Ss_commnts: The Ivanova/Warlock Destroyer/Ulkesh's Vorlon
Transport/Sheridan/Lyta Story

Title: True Seeker
Author: Avery, Fiona
Timeframe: late 2269
Ss_pub_in: Babylon 5/Crusade Magazine
Ss_issue: July 2000, Number 23
Ss_commnts: The Narn Story (carries on from episode 17 "Legacies" http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/guide/017.html )

Title: The Nautilus Coil
Author: Keyes, J. Gregory
Timeframe: 2263, or maybe even sometime in 2264
Ss_pub_in: Babylon 5/Crusade Magazine
Ss_issue: August 2000, Number 24
Ss_commnts: The Garibaldi/Lyta/Psi Corp/Vorlon story. Connects with "Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps"
*************

It's not insane; it's good, and I've read 'em all, some more than once. :D
 
Daunting, perhaps, but if they made money, not insane.

Not daunting; a wealth of fresh adventures. Mercury should be pleased.
Believe me he is :D

Can't get enough of the B5 universe. Any suggestions on which to get first?

Dell #7

then

The Technomage trilogy (Book 2 is hard to find. You may also find the trilogy as the hardcover Sci-Fi Book Club omnibus edition (likewise for the Centauri and Psi Corps trilogies.).

then

The Centauri trilogy (Book #3 is hard to find.).



Dell #9 (Read after watching "Grey 17 is Missing." - Season 3 Episode 19)

The Psi Corps trilogy - Can be read anytime.

The six short stories, all of which are hard to find. - Can be read anytime.

When, in the timeline, the books take place:
Babylon 5 Book #7 - The Shadow Within (11/2256 - 01/2257)
Babylon 5 Book #9 - To Dream in the City of Sorrows (Marcus in 10/2260, recalling events of 1/2259-9/2260)
Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps (2115-2189)
Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant (2189-2258)
Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester (2271-2281)
Legions of Fire - Book I - The Long Night of Centauri Prime (2262-2266*)
Legions of Fire - Book II - Armies of Light and Dark (2266*-2272)
Legions of Fire - Book III - Out of the Darkness (2273-2277 or 2278)
The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Book I - Casting Shadows (11/2258-12/31/2258)
The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Book II - Summoning Light (1/2259-2/2259)
The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Book III - Invoking Darkness (8/2260-2261)

Note: The TV series "Babylon 5" chiefly takes place from 2258 to 2262.

* The date in the book (end of Book 1 and start of Book 2) should be December 14, 2266 not December 14, 2267. The big battle in "A Call to Arms" took place in January 2267, and "Crusade" started right after that.
 
Last edited:
Babylon 5 Del Rey Trilogies, Omnibus Hardcover Info.:

The Psi Corps Trilogy (Babylon 5) (Hardcover)
by J. Gregory Keyes
Product Details
Hardcover: 712 pages
Publisher: Science Fiction Book Club (January 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0739406566
ISBN-13: 978-0739406564


Legions of Fire (Babylon, 5) (Hardcover)
by Peter David
Product Details
Hardcover: 733 pages
Publisher: Science Fiction Book Club; 1st edition (2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0739414852
ISBN-13: 978-0739414859


The Passing Of The Techno-Mages (All Three Books In One., 1,2&3) (Hardcover)
by Jeanne Cavelos
Product Details
Hardcover: 874 pages
Publisher: Science Fiction BookClub; 1st edition (2002)
ISBN-10: 0739423959
ISBN-13: 978-0739423950
 
there is a torrent online with all the short stories, as well as the very hard to find books such as LoF book 3.

and the short stories are fantastic, especially "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic". although it ruins the emotional impact of marcus' death (after reading it i no longer cry at the end of the episode).
 
Strictly speaking, you should try to avoid such methods so that JMS gets the royalty money he's earned... but if the stories simply aren't available at all, it's hard to argue you're denying him any cash.
 
and the short stories are fantastic, especially "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic". although it ruins the emotional impact of marcus' death (after reading it i no longer cry at the end of the episode).

At the time the stories came out, most people seemed to HATE "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic" and were very angry with what Marcus did. I was more peeved at the gyrations JMS had to go through to make the story work.

Here's how I'd rank them, with the best at the top of the list:
"Hidden Agendas"
"The Shadow of His Thoughts"
"Genius Loci"
"The Nautilus Coil"
.
.
a large gap here
.
.
"Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic"
"True Seeker"
 
At the time the stories came out, most people seemed to HATE "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic" and were very angry with what Marcus did.

JMS had said that he'd written it with the express intention of it being one of those 'start a few bar fights' stories. But while Marcus' actions are extremely dubious morally, I never understood why people were in so much more of an uproar over "Space, Time..." than they were over Kosh's manipulation of G'Kar in "Dust to Dust".

Jan
 
Strictly speaking, you should try to avoid such methods so that JMS gets the royalty money he's earned... but if the stories simply aren't available at all, it's hard to argue you're denying him any cash.

i completely agree, BUT the magazines and books are out of print so the issue of royalties is a moot one. the only guy being denied money is the dude on ebay, and honestly he probably won't complain because he will sell it a while afterward by which point LoF Bk 3 will be worth even more. i only mentioned it because the books and magazines are out of print.
 
there is a torrent online with all the short stories, as well as the very hard to find books such as LoF book 3.

and the short stories are fantastic, especially "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic". although it ruins the emotional impact of marcus' death (after reading it i no longer cry at the end of the episode).

Strange, it didn't have the effect of ruining the emotional impact of his death for me, it changed the emotion sure, but, it's no less sad, in fact, I think there's now an additional layer of the sadness, considering the pain in "Space, Time..."
 
Strictly speaking, you should try to avoid such methods so that JMS gets the royalty money he's earned... but if the stories simply aren't available at all, it's hard to argue you're denying him any cash.

i completely agree, BUT the magazines and books are out of print so the issue of royalties is a moot one. the only guy being denied money is the dude on ebay, and honestly he probably won't complain because he will sell it a while afterward by which point LoF Bk 3 will be worth even more. i only mentioned it because the books and magazines are out of print.

I agree as well but since they are out of print and I doubt they will ever be in print again PM me if you would like to know how to get them. And if you like you can send $30 to JMS or make sure and buy them if they are ever released again.
 
But while Marcus' actions are extremely dubious morally, I never understood why people were in so much more of an uproar over "Space, Time..." than they were over Kosh's manipulation of G'Kar in "Dust to Dust".

Jan

Perhaps because Marcus is doing the manipulation for himself while Kosh is doing it for the vastly greater good. Moreover, does Kosh ever really lie to G'Kar in that section? He puts on a Narn image, that's about all the misleading he does.
 
Strictly speaking, you should try to avoid such methods so that JMS gets the royalty money he's earned... but if the stories simply aren't available at all, it's hard to argue you're denying him any cash.

i completely agree, BUT the magazines and books are out of print so the issue of royalties is a moot one. the only guy being denied money is the dude on ebay, and honestly he probably won't complain because he will sell it a while afterward by which point LoF Bk 3 will be worth even more. i only mentioned it because the books and magazines are out of print.

I agree as well but since they are out of print and I doubt they will ever be in print again PM me if you would like to know how to get them. And if you like you can send $30 to JMS or make sure and buy them if they are ever released again.

JMS didn't write them all and while your sentiments may seem nice and logical you're ignoring the fact that without the writer's and WB's permission, you're basically stealing. Out of print or not, nobody is *entitled* to these stories.

Jan
 
But while Marcus' actions are extremely dubious morally, I never understood why people were in so much more of an uproar over "Space, Time..." than they were over Kosh's manipulation of G'Kar in "Dust to Dust".

Jan

Perhaps because Marcus is doing the manipulation for himself while Kosh is doing it for the vastly greater good. Moreover, does Kosh ever really lie to G'Kar in that section? He puts on a Narn image, that's about all the misleading he does.

i was unaware, that it was meant to be Kosh, where is this stated, or is it simply an assumption.

i always took it as an epiphany coming from somewhere deep within G'kar himself.

i completely agree, BUT the magazines and books are out of print so the issue of royalties is a moot one. the only guy being denied money is the dude on ebay, and honestly he probably won't complain because he will sell it a while afterward by which point LoF Bk 3 will be worth even more. i only mentioned it because the books and magazines are out of print.

I agree as well but since they are out of print and I doubt they will ever be in print again PM me if you would like to know how to get them. And if you like you can send $30 to JMS or make sure and buy them if they are ever released again.

JMS didn't write them all and while your sentiments may seem nice and logical you're ignoring the fact that without the writer's and WB's permission, you're basically stealing. Out of print or not, nobody is *entitled* to these stories.

Jan

very "black and white" way of looking at it, but valid i suppose.
 

Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.
Back
Top