Babylon 5:  Background
[front row, l-r:  Sec. Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle), Capt. John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner),
Cmdr. Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian), Dr. Stephen Franklin (Richard Biggs)]
[back row, l-r:  Zack Allen (Jeff Conaway), Vir Cotto (Stephen Furst), Amb. Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik).
 Citizen G'Kar (Andreas Katsulus), Marcus Cole (Jason Carter), Lennier (Bill Mumy), Amb. Delenn (Mira Furlan),
Lyta Alexander (Patricia Tallman)]
How did it happen?
Writer J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) developed the basic idea for Babylon 5 (B5) in 1987.  The stories would be in a traditional science fiction framework- characterization and commentary about our own world while presented in an otherworldly setting.  One main difference in the series is that its run would be limited to five years.  JMS wrote the entire outline for the series from beginning to end, and he is one of the few people to know the complete story.  With the premise laid out, JMS shopped his story around to different studios in Hollywood, including Paramount.  Warner Brothers picked up the story for its syndicated Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN) in 1992.  After the pilot movie- called "The Gathering"- had aired in February 1993, the series began its regular run in January 1994.

What is the concept of the series?
The first season's voiceover, given by the station's first commander Jeffrey Sinclair, provides the foundation:

"It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War.  The Babylon Project was a dream given form.  Its goal:  to create a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully.  It was a port-of-call; home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers.  Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal:  all alone in the night.  It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace."

Babylon 5 was born out of the ashes of humanity's worst conflicts.  Around the Earth-year 2247, an unfortunate misunderstanding  between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari Federation developed during the first contact of the two powers.  As a result, the spiritual/political leader of Minbar was killed and the Minbari began a quest of vengeance against Earth.  They chased humanity back to their own solar system, destroying everything in their path.  Even though the Minbari surrendered just short of destroying the Earth, humans realized how close they had come to extinction.

After four previous attempts, the Earth Alliance built the space station Babylon 5 and it became fully operational in 2257.  The five major galactic entities- the Earth Alliance, the Minbari Federation, the Centauri Republic, the Narn Regime, and the Vorlon Empire- sent a representative to sit on the station's ruling council.  A population of about 250,000 humans and aliens lived on the station at any given moment.  Babylon 5 became a symbol of cooperation and an example strength through diversification.  However, there were troubles ahead....

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