Babylon 5 Press Release

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JMS Breaks Scriptwriting Record
17/04/96

LOS ANGELES, April 17 /PRNewswire/

Imagine scripting the equivalent of 1000 typewritten pages -- or 250,000 words (the typical length of two novels) -- in a period of only nine months. And at the same time, supervising every creative aspect of a huge weekly television series involving 11 main characters, some half dozen recurring characters, constantly-changing guest stars, state-of-the-art computer- generated special effects, and elaborate sets, costumes and special make-up effects.

For the 1995-96 season of the Emmy Award-winning television show, "Babylon 5," creator, executive producer and writer J. Michael Straczynski did exactly that. And without actually intending to, he set a new precedent for American television -- by becoming the first individual in the history of the medium to singularly write every episode of a full 22-episode season for a one-hour dramatic series.

"It's never been done before and I now can understand why, because just being the executive producer on the show is an 18-hour-a-day job and writing all the shows is a 16-hour-a-day job. So basically I've got a math problem," Straczynaki now laughs, relieved that the ordeal is over.

How did he do it? By adhering to a rigorous daily regimen that concluded each morning between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Make that 362 mornings per year. The only days he took off were Christmas, New Year's, and his birthday.

Why did he do it? Because only Straczynski knows the entire 5-year story arc of his pioneering epic novel for television. And as the series approached its third (and present) reason, the unfolding drama of the Babylon 5 space station's already-precarious peacekeeping mission had reached a crucial pivotal point in which everything that had happened so far had to be resolved (at least temporarily), and everything hence had to be foreshadowed. Furthermore, the show had developed such a loyal contingent of interactive viewers, that every nuance of every episode had become one of the most discussed topics on the Internet.

During the first two seasons of his multi-award-winning space saga, Straczynski had brought in some of the finest science fiction writers of all time, many of whom had worked on Gene Roddenberry's original classic "Star Trek" series. Even so, this latest writing marathon was not that unusual, considering that Straczynski alone has penned 49 of the series' 66 produced episodes (or approximately 75%). And when he completes the first four episodes of the 1996-97 season, he will have personally written a remarkable 27 consecutive one-hour shows (which include the last five of season two).

Clearly, this is a man who has devoted his life to "slamming words together to see what explosions come out of it." After a childhood spent living in a different city every six months or so, he chose his life profession -- writer -- at the mere age of 17. In 1984, he began working in television full-time, eventually working his way up to story editor and/or producer on such hit shows as "Murder, She Wrote," "The Twilight Zone," and "Jake and The Fatman." At the same time, he also managed to write over 140 produced episodes.

His prolific career to date also includes two published novels, an anthology of short fiction, over 500 nonfiction articles and short stories, a dozen produced plays, another dozen produced radio dramas, and a standard text on the craft (The Complete Book of Scriptwriting, of which a new, expanded edition will be published by Writer's Digest Books this Fall).

In 1986, at the mere age of 32, Straczynski created "Babylon 5," which earned two Emmy Awards within its first season, followed by three Emmy nominations among many other accolades. As a result, he was selected by Newsweek magazine in 1995 as the only representative from the entertainment industry for its Who's Who of the "most influential thinkers-innovators who will shape our lives as we move into the 21st century." It's significant to note that this elite group -- designated the "captains in the information revolution" -- included such legendary figures as Steven Jobs (the co-founder of Apple and more recently of NeXT), Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the World Wide Web), and Kevin Kelly (the executive editor of Wired).

"Babylon 5" stars Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, and Mira Furlan. Richard Biggs, Bill Mumy, Jason Carter, Stephen Furst, and Jeff Conaway also star, with Peter Jurasik as "Londo" and Andreas Katsulas as "G'Kar." The show is produced by Babylonian Productions, Inc., and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Douglas Netter and J. Michael Straczynski are the executive producers, and John Copeland is the producer. Harlan Ellison serves as a creative consultant.

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