For anyone who loves sci-fi and cult television programmes, the ‘90s felt like the dawn of the third age of fankind. It saw a massive explosion in the amount of genre TV shows, some of which proved to be far more durable than others, but it was a smörgåsbord the likes of which would not be seen again until the rise of streaming services.
Along with the continued rise of existing shows such as Red Dwarf and Star Trek: The Next Generation, the schedules were suddenly packed with a slate of new series, such as The X-Files, Farscape, Time Trax, Dark Skies, Space: Above and Beyond, SeaQuest DSV, Crime Traveller, VR.5, Millennium, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Lexx, and a pair of further entries in the growing Star Trek franchise, in the form of Deep Space Nine and Voyager. In amongst all of these was perhaps one of the most revolutionary and game-changing out of these shows to grace our screens: Babylon 5, the creation of writer J. Michael Straczynski.
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Having the misfortune to debut the month after Deep Space Nine, with both series being centred around space stations which guarded wormholes across space, Babylon 5 seemed to often came off like a poor relation or even a ripoff, despite Straczynski having worked on the idea for several years prior, and even pitching it to Paramount way before DS9 was even a twinkle in the Prophets’ eyes. It almost feels as though B5 was ahead of its time in many ways, as what it accomplished in its five-year run was causing a sea change in the way that television shows could be presented and perceived.
For so long, TV programmes were viewed as being disposable schedule fodder, and in a lot of instances there would almost be a reset at the end of each episode, with no continuation of storylines or any real consequences, let alone any sustained growth or development in characters. What Straczynski had managed to achieve was to revolutionise storytelling for the small screen, and move towards a serialised format instead, one which rewarded the time and investment of its audience across multiple years, with narrative almost taking the form of a novel for television.
Babylon 5 was a genuine trailblazer when it came to laying down the foundations for what would follow. We now take for granted the longform storytelling of TV series like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones, but it is easy to overlook or forget Babylon 5’s role in breaking the mould of what television could be. It feels as if it would have flourished had it been aired today, as B5 is an eminently bingeworthy production, so we can only hope that Straczynski‘s efforts to reboot the series come to fruition in the near future, as it might finally get the kind of acclaim and recognition it richly deserves, having changed the landscape of television in such a radical way.
As a longstanding fan, Baz Greenland is keen to do his part in bringing this about. As well as hosting the A Dream Given Form podcast, Greenland has also written a book about the programme. The Triumph of Babylon 5: The Science Fiction Classic and Its Long Twilight Struggles, which is published by McFarland, is not simply a love letter to Straczynski and his magnum opus – it also acts as a critical appraisal of the importance which Babylon 5 had in redefining not only the way that the genre was perceived and delivered, but also the impact it had on the medium. Greenland brings up so many cogent and salient points in arguing that B5 deserves better, having often been unfairly dismissed out of hand.
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For the uninitiated, The Triumph of Babylon 5 offers a more than decent overview of its subject matter, although anyone who has yet to see all five seasons may find that – inevitably and unavoidably – spoilers abound. Such is the nature of the beast that to produce such an in-depth overview really does necessitate a deep dive, discussing the themes and topics in detail. Importantly, this is not just a slavish paean, but acts as a critical overview, not shying away from discussing flaws or weaknesses which might be tempting to otherwise avoid or gloss over. This is very much a ‘warts and all’ look at both what happened on screen, as well as behind the scenes, yet it never tips over into being salacious or muckraking.
Rather than just being a chronological slog through the show and its history, The Triumph of Babylon 5 takes time to also study its themes and storytelling, also breaking things up by having a series of interviews sprinkled throughout with the likes of actors Peter Jurasik and Patricia Tallman. The range and variety of the contents means it never risks becoming a dull or pedestrian read, and the presentation means that you can skip between the chapters if you so wish, and jump over to any parts that may be of potentially greater interest to the individual reader, without it ever diminishing the work as a whole.
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The Triumph of Babylon 5 truly is a thoughtful, intelligent and insightful read, written by somebody who cares deeply about the show, and that obvious passion comes through in the book. Perhaps the real triumph of Babylon 5 is that it has not only endured, but also brought along as part of its legacy fans like Greenland, who are able to champion it, along with giving essential context to make you look at it in a whole new light.
The Triumph of Babylon 5: The Science Fiction Classic and Its Long Twilight Struggles is out now from McFarland.
