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"Babylon 5" Creator J. Michael Straczynski Establishes New Precedent for Scripting 50 One-Hour Episodes in a Row 06/05/97

(Burbank, CA - May 1997) -- J. Michael Straczynski, creator, writer and executive producer of the Emmy Award winning television series "Babylon 5," has boldly taken his vision where no man dared go before. Straczynski has set a new precedent for American Television by becoming the first person in the history of the medium to singularly script 50 one-hour episodes in a row --representing over two full seasons of the series. Additionally, he is writing and co-producing two feature length movies for TNT, a prequel and sequel to "Babylon 5's" current storyline, due out in early 1998, and has made his directorial debut with the final episode of season four.

Only Straczynski knows the entire multi-year story arc of his pioneering epic which chronicles the adventures of an ecclectic group of humans and aliens aboard a five-mile long, self contained space station. "To tell a coherent, cohesive, and consistent story this large, with so much written by one person, has never before been attempted in American television," comments Straczynski. "And there's a reason for that. You have to be out of your mind to even try it!

"It was nothing I ever wanted to do and wanted to avoid at all costs, but the difficulty of incorporating freelance stories into what is, essentially a novel for television, began to make that impossible, as much as we tried to make it work," adds Straczynski. "A number of critics point out that film or television cannot allow for writers to be auteurs, but I think we have disproved that notion. Television can be treated with the same literary approach and creative control as books or short stories. Babylon 5 has shown that it is possible to tell a single story, to create a true novel for television, that spans not just weeks, but multiple years--setting threads and clues that play out over the course of years, trusting to the patience and intelligence of the audience." In fact, "Babylon 5" has been endorsed by Viewers for Quality Televsion for the past three years.

"I've been given this remarkable opportunity by Warner Bros. to just go and tell my story," continues Straczynski. "They have given us unrestrained freedom to address issues of controversy--from the death penalty to spirituality, gay issues, the role of religion vs. science, politics, even examining the media itself."

All this has come at something of a steep price to Straczynski. For the past four years, he has literally done nothing other than thinking about and writing the "Babylon 5" epic and adhering to a rigorous daily regiment that concludes each morning between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., 362 mornings per year. (This includes three to four hours a day interacting with fans on the internet.)

"It's a hideous strain," he confesses. "If I'd known what I was getting into, I might not have done it. But once I was on the horse, I had to hold on, no matter what! And I know in my heart, this opportunity will never come again."

"Babylon 5" stars Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle and Mira Furlan. Richard Biggs, Bill Mumy, Jason Carter, Stephen Furst, Jeff Conaway and Patricia Tallman also star, with Peter Juraski as "Londo" and Andreas Katsulas as "G'Kar."

"Babylon 5" is produced by Babylonian Productions, Inc. and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. J. Michael Straczynski is the series creator and Douglas Netter and Straczynski are the executive producers. John Copeland serves as producer and George Johnsen is co-producer. Eminent science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison is creative consultant.

Online fans can visit the Official Warner Bros. BABYLON 5 web site at: http://www.babylon5.com and the Official Fan Club site at: http://www.thestation.com.

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