In this final episode of the Babylon Project Podcast, we discussed the second three of six short stories from the Babylon 5 universe: “Hidden Agendas”; “True Seeker”; and “The Nautilus Coil”. As with the previous episode, this one was particularly special because we were joined by our Producer, Troy Rutter to help us wrap things up. First, we discu…

In this penultimate episode of the Babylon Project Podcast, we discussed three of six short stories from the Babylon 5 universe: “The Shadow of His Thoughts”; “Genius Loci”; and “Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic.” All three were written by J. Michael Straczynski. The episode was particularly special because we were joined by our Producer, Tr…

Invoking Darkness was written by Jeanne Cavelos. The story takes place starting in August 2260 through 2261, covering just five months. As we discuss the third and final novel in the trilogy, it’s worth noting that the overarching story is tragic, alluded to by the collective title “Passing of the Technomages”. It’s noteworthy as well that the seco…

Picking up right where Casting Shadows left off, Summoning Light chronicles Galen’s assignment immediately after becoming a Technomage, focusing on the order’s assessments and preparations for the coming Shadow War. Driving the storyline here: the Technomages know their order is a risk of extermination and wrestle with whether to stand and fight (a…

With Casting Shadows, we see a solid start to the third and final trilogy of books written in the Babylon 5 universe. As with the other trilogies, this set of books is considered canon and was based on an outline provided by JMS. As you’ll recall, the Psi Corps trilogy was really Bester’s story; the Technomage Trilogy is Galen’s. Those familiar wit…

The third book of the Legions of Fire trilogy was phenomenal. We don’t know how the conclusion of the story, written in Out of the Darkness, could have been any better. As with the second novel, this one carried the reader into a new set of scenes, and a new set of perspectives as smoothly as a scene change in a great film. It was masterful. Out of…

We rolled right into the second book of the Legions of Fire trilogy: Armies of Light and Dark, and we weren’t disappointed! This book flows seamlessly from the first, with the story shifting from focusing on Londo to putting Vir center stage. Armies of Light and Dark was written by Peter David and based on a script written by JMS. The story opens i…

If you were with us when we reviewed the stand-alone novels, you’ll remember each novel seemed to be a roll of the dice. Would it be good, bad, a mixed bag? We never really knew until we dove in. Well, we finished the Psi Corps trilogy (which was powerful!) and now we’ve moved to the Legions of Fire (aka the Centauri) trilogy, but with no concerns.…

Here we are, ready to discuss the third novel in the Psi Corps trilogy. As with the other two, Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester was based on a script written by JMS, and are considered canon, and written by J. Gregory Keyes. As the story ends, we pick up with Mr. Bester approximately in the year 2250, and follow him until approximately 2281, aro…

With the second book in the “Psi Corps Trilogy” under our belts, we’re back to discuss the continuing story as captured in Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant. As mentioned previously, this set of books was based on a script written by JMS, and are considered canon, and all three were written by J. Gregory Keyes. The second novel in the set begins i…

We’re back again, this time starting the first trilogy of novels, collectively called the “Psi Corps Trilogy.” This set of books were based on a script written by JMS, and are considered canon, and all three were written by J. Gregory Keyes. In this first novel, we learn Bester’s backstory, and see just how the Psi Corps began. The novel starts in …

This time we’re looking at the final novel in the set of nine (what people call) standalone novels: the much-anticipated To Dream in the City of Sorrows, by Kathryn M. Drennan. With what we already knew about this book, there was little concern about how good it was rumored to be. It was everything we’d expected and hoped for and/or remembered. Tow…

Here we are, looking at the second to last standalone novel Personal Agendas, by Al Sarrantonio. We approached this one with cautious optimism, since it follows a very well written novel that brought us home to the Babylon 5 universe we all love so much. Turns out we weren’t let down; the book warranted our optimism. There were highs and a few lows…

We’ve arrived at the seventh and much-anticipated standalone novel The Shadow Within, by Jeanne Cavelos. And it was worth the wait! The story takes place just before the Babylon 5 television series pilot episode “The Gathering” and was clearly well researched, and also presumably informed by the author’s familiarity with the characters as we know t…

The sixth standalone novel we’re discussing is Betrayals, by S.M. Stirling. Raul offered a very useful way to view this book: as an anthology composed of two short stories and a novella. Taking this view helped frame or structure what we read. We all agreed this was a far better than the last two books—combined—even though, like the last several, t…

Next up, we read The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name, by Neil Barrett, Jr. This is the fifth of nine stand-alone novels. Given how the first four weren’t that great, we were hopeful this one might shine a little, but ultimately we were disappointed. While not as bad as Clark’s Law, this book felt like a short story crammed into a ful…

The next stand-alone novel we read and reviewed is Jim Mortimore’s Clark’s Law. This is the only novel he wrote within the B5 universe, although he has writing credits for novelizations within the Dr. Who universe. The print copy was published by Dell in February 1996, and ran 288 pages. The story takes place in 2259, at the end of Season 2 and occ…

The third stand-alone novel is Blood Oath, written by John Vornholt. This is his second and final B5 novel. The print copy was published by Dell in September 1995, and ran 256 pages. The story takes place in 2259, sometime prior to “The Coming of Shadows” (Season 2, Episode 9). This book is not considered canon. We liked this book, quite a bit. The…

The second novel we read in the “set” of stand-alone novels is Accusations, written by Lois Tilton. This is her only B5 novel. Accusations was 278 pages and published by Dell in April 1995. Like Voices, this story occurs in 2258, during Season 2 of the original B5 series, and is also not officially considered canon. There were some interesting simi…

As we dive into the first of the novels associated with the Babylon 5 universe, we read and discussed Voices. Written by John Vornholt (his first of two B5 novels), published by Dell in 1995, this story takes place sometime between the Season 2 episodes “Points of Departure” (Episode 1) and “A Race Through Dark Places” (Episode 8). This is the firs…

NOTE: For this special 2-hour episode of the Babylon Project Podcast, we have a brand new intro using narration from the past 6 years of podcasts. It gives us chills so we hope you enjoy it and the rest of our discussion! Also, from now on we will be switching to the first Monday of every month for the next podcast releases as we go through each an…

We’ve reached the end of Crusade. When we began the series, we felt even though this was JMS and a deliberate follow-up to Babylon 5, the writing seemed off and the characters seemed awkward. For our friends who listened along, we all learned (or were reminded) that what JMS wrote was not presented by TNT in the order he originally intended. This e…

This was a playful Crusade-based version of the popular show X-Files. A little campy (on purpose), it was a fun episode to watch, even though it wasn’t totally a filler or throw-away episode. There was perhaps, at least one very traditional use of the Sci Fi genre to make a strong social statement. The episode opens up with the crew noticing someth…

This would have been the third episode to air if JMS had his way., but we’re seeing it as the eleventh episode. Once again, we talk about things seem disconnected here (such as the relationship between Max and Dureena) based on “earlier” episodes, – but they really aren’t. One thing all three of us intend to do at some point is go back and rewatch …

As mentioned previously, the previous episode was intended to be the premiere for the series, and this episode was intended to air third. This episode kicks off with Jane (our favorite actress Maggie Egan!) talking about how the Rangers are scouting for leads on potential cures, with the military research vessel Excalibur following up on specific l…

We liked this episode for a number of reasons. Understanding that JMS originally intended this episode to be the premiere helped. With that in mind, it becomes clear why we’re seeing an assortment of character introductions that don’t seem to belong in the nine episode (as aired). It also explains why Max seems to be back to his fully-abrasive pers…

The last episode of the series filmed finds its way at this point in the season, with a B plot of the crew being fitted with “new” uniforms, which were actually the “old” uniforms to match the first episodes filmed. Your hosts talk about “what’s old is new again” as well as as follow the main storyline which has our crew discovering a ghost ship ad…

The Excalibur is on a voyage that has a deliberate connection to finding a cure for the plague and our crew finds themselves on Babylon 5 to work gaining access to a planet called Lorka 7. Max quickly runs into someone he probably didn’t want to see: his ex-wife. Gideon quickly finds himself arguing with the Brakiri for access to a planet they are …

The episode opens on Mars, where we find Captain Lochley and Gideon together in advance of a conference convened to discuss the Drakh plague. Gideon is there since he’s the captain of the Excalibur; Lochley has been called away from Babylon 5 to head up the event security. She confidently declares the event “perfectly safe.” — Oh boy! Early in the …

Once again the crew is taken off the path to find a cure for the Drakh plague. The Excalibur is sent to Theta 49 where there is concern a small group of colonists might be contaminated with the plague. Gideon receive orders to find the colonists and bring them back to Earth—an unusual request. If they’re actually contaminated, it would be relativel…

In this episode, your hosts agree this felt like the usual B5 episode we’ve come to love. We also find the crew of the Excalibur on what appears to be a legitimate mission focused on finding a cure for the Drakh plague: a relatively unknown world that also happens to be a place of healing. Upon arrival, the team finds a strange alien apparently ent…

Welcome back! We’re three episodes into Crusade and as you’ll hear, still reminding each other that this is a new show, with new characters who need to develop—meaning the actors and writers haven’t quite found the familiarity with the characters just yet, but that’s to be expected. This episode is one of only a few written by someone other than JM…

Things kick off with a large, orange blob threatening some Earth Force folks and they’re calling for help. We quickly learn they’re crew from the Medusa, detailed to guard a planet-based mine on Regula 4. Meanwhile, the Excalibur is tasked to assist with the problem. Turns out the society there has rejected most forms of modern technology and they …

Here we go! Having finished the original series and the movies, we’ve made our way to the spin-off series “Crusade”. For the fans of the B5 time line, the events in this series take place in 2267, just five years after the original series ended, and a year after the events in the movie “A Call to Arms”. This episode originally aired on June 9, 1999…

Welcome to our fifth and final review of the Babylon 5 movies. A Call to Arms originally aired on TNT on January 3rd, 1999. The movie depicts events that happened one year before the spin-off series “Crusade”, and one year after the events in the movie “Legend of the Rangers”. After the last movie we reviewed, this one was refreshing and felt like …

This is our fourth movie review of five for your hosts. “Legend of the Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight” takes place in 2265, between the end of Season 5 (2263) and A Call to Arms (2266). It originally aired on January 19th, 2002 on the Sci Fi Channel. Written by JMS, it was intended to be a pilot for a new series, although it did not go to se…

This is the third movie of the Babylon 5 movies (not including The Gathering) and originally aired on November 8, 1998 on TNT. It takes place in the year 2263 between the 5th season of the series and the start of the spin-off series “Crusade”. If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, you probably recognize the title of this episode from Hamlet. Overall, an …

Your faithful hosts may not have enjoyed Thirdspace very much, but we did enjoy In the Beginning. It felt like it belonged with the series. The end of the movie ties in with War Without End from Season 3, but this movie also involves a period of time 10 years before the series began, AND approximately 15 years after it ended. Are you ready? G’Kar a…

The first of five Babylon 5 movies we’ll watch and discuss. If you have the same box set as some of us do, Thirdspace is the third movie, but the one we start with. In terms of the show’s chronology, it takes place between Seasons 4 and 5. The movie opens with a monologue by Sheridan. He tells us we’re between the wars in the year 2261. The raiders…

With the last show leaving us satisfied with a very appropriate and emotional season ender, the SERIES concludes with this episode. If you thought the last one tugged on the heart strings, this one beats it, hands-down. Things begin with a monologue by Michael as we learn 20 years have passed since the incidents on Z’ha’dum and Lorien extending Joh…

As this episode opens, your hosts discuss that this is the SEASON ender—and it sure feels that way. You’re correct in that there’s one more episode, but the agreement is that the next and last episode is the SERIES ender. The situation: John and Delenn are leaving Babylon 5 and heading to Minbar to move into the new, permanent seat of the Alliance.…

This is the beginning of the end of the season in that this episode starts the real wrap up of where people are, and where they’re going. As the show opens we see Number 1 (we learn her name is Tessa) arriving on Babylon 5 to a less than warm reception. Dr. Franklin recognizes her though, and helps her ease through security. We quickly learn she’s …

There aren’t really any lighthearted episodes to look forward to at this point, but we do get a break from the heaviness of the last two episodes. Wheel of Fire begins with Lockley greeting G’Kar as he returns to the station. In what is almost a comical moment, we learn that G’Kar has become an icon, with his followers posting images of him on the …

The last episode essentially resumes after a (rare) recap of events that brought us to this point—a recap with BOOM. If the last episode contained one of the saddest moments in the season/series; at least one of your hosts feels this is perhaps the saddest episodes in the series. Events continue to unfold and play along a central theme to the serie…

This episode further defines the divisions between the sides, and the issues that continue to surface and fester within the alliance. The war continues to be hot – as White Stars are authorized to attack Centauri. BOOM. Related to the White Stars, the fleet has been in constant use, and Sheridan appeals to Delenn for help in creating a new class of…

The previous episode carries over as we see how the Alliance leadership manages bringing the evidence, and frankly charges, to Londo as the Centauri representative. In his absence, evidence is presented by Franklin, Garibaldi, and Lennier. After each round of testimony, the evidence is provided to Londo for consideration as he prepares for his time…

Our hosts open the discussion commenting on what begins as a disorienting episode — something horrible has happened to the station. Seems there was quite a bit of boom, but we quickly learn it was Michael’s nightmare. Delenn receives information from Lennier and learns several disturbing things: the attacks on shipping have increased dramatically i…

We all know Delenn is a strong and willful character, and in this episode we watch her take action to secretly gather necessary information (evidence) to implicate or exonerate the Centauri in the attacks on alliance shipping. She also does so in a way that gives Sheridan plausible deniability in the event the intelligence gathering mission is disc…

This is one of the most interesting episodes in the season, and perhaps the entire series. We get a chance to look in on what Bester’s life as a Psi Cop is like, as two interns are assigned to him as he works an unusual case: it seems a Psi Corps student has gone mad, has killed someone, and is now on the run. He’s no ordinary student and we watch …

We join Sheridan as he’s lamenting over the bureaucratic side of life as the President of the Alliance, and with the Council in turmoil over the ongoing attacks, pressure mounts for the Alliance to do something. Seems the way the original charter was drafted, no one has authority outside their own sovereign space to take military action, and the Al…