is Babylon 5 High Fantasy?

[DrNewGod]

I looked up High Fantasy. Does B5 qualify? If so what else?

[Jokerz79]

I looked up High Fantasy. Does B5 qualify? If so what else?

I wouldn't consider B5 fantasy at all even Technomages were based in technology not magic or fantasy.

[Alan2099]

I'd just say it's clearly science fiction.

[Powerboy]

I looked up High Fantasy. Does B5 qualify? If so what else?

Although it didn't always succeed, it tried to stay more true to known scientific facts than almost any other sci fi show so it's ironic that anyone thinks it should be qualified as fantasy. Much more science fiction than fantasy compared to Star Trek.

[regnak]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_opera

No it is Space opera.

[Ulysian_Thracs]

I looked up High Fantasy. Does B5 qualify? If so what else?

Babylon 5 is one of my favorite all-time shows, and I think you could easily confuse it for High Fantasy because of the scope of the themes, which transformed from good vs. evil to order vs. chaos. But i think it was very clearly grounded in SciFi.

[hyped78]

I consider it sci fi. As discussed on another thread, the potential reboot would be amazing, one of my all-time favorite tv shows.

[James Cameron]

It definitely borders on fantasy what with the Vorlons and Technomages. Definitely fantasy inspired.

It's also one of the greatest TV series ever created.

[achilles]

It's soft sci-fi political drama. Soft in that it doesn't rely on technologies for the plots to work. You don't need to define how any of that stuff works, and they don't try. It's Casablanca in space basically, and very, very good. One of the best sci-fi shows of any type ever done IMO.

[Powerboy]

It's soft sci-fi political drama. Soft in that it doesn't rely on technologies for the plots to work. You don't need to define how any of that stuff works, and they don't try. It's Casablanca in space basically, and very, very good. One of the best sci-fi shows of any type ever done IMO.

Yes it was and that was in spite of the fact that J. Michael Straczynski had to rush the plot and finish his intended five year arc in four years because it was uncertain that it would be renewed for a 5th season.

It was probably the first show to ever have the whole series outlined before the show even started.

Also, there was the controversy. JMS pitched the show to every studio, including Paramount. According to him, because TNG would soon be ending, they asked if he could change it enough to fit into the Star Trek universe. He said no, it had nothing to do with ST.

Then when Warners green-lighted it, Paramount rushed Deep Space Nine into production and got it on the air first. Two shows set on a space station, with a gateway to faraway places right next door, with a commanding officer who is of religious significance to a major species on the station. Hmm? I'm not making any accusations though JMS certainly did.
Doesn't really matter because the two shows quickly and drastically diverged from each other and, in fact, DS9 is my absolute favorite ST show. But B5 was a phenomenon among science fiction (as opposed to just sci fi) fans and was a sensation at science fiction conventions, being considered a revolution in science fiction on television.

[Jokerz79]

Yes it was and that was in spite of the fact that J. Michael Straczynski had to rush the plot and finish his intended five year arc in four years because it was uncertain that it would be renewed for a 5th season.

It was probably the first show to ever have the whole series outlined before the show even started.

Also, there was the controversy. JMS pitched the show to every studio, including Paramount. According to him, because TNG would soon be ending, they asked if he could change it enough to fit into the Star Trek universe. He said no, it had nothing to do with ST.

Then when Warners green-lighted it, Paramount rushed Deep Space Nine into production and got it on the air first. Two shows set on a space station, with a gateway to faraway places right next door, with a commanding officer who is of religious significance to a major species on the station. Hmm? I'm not making any accusations though JMS certainly did.
Doesn't really matter because the two shows quickly and drastically diverged from each other and, in fact, DS9 is my absolute favorite ST show. But B5 was a phenomenon among science fiction (as opposed to just sci fi) fans and was a sensation at science fiction conventions, being considered a revolution in science fiction on television.

Definitely the 1st U.S. series I can think of that was preplanned from start to finish. Although JMS made a lot of changes not just the season 4/5 issues.

Due to Michael O'Hare mental state the character of John Sheridan was created to fill the void. Originally Jeff was going to be Valen reborn not actually Valen and he would have led them during the Shadow War with Delenn who he would have a son with also it's why Catherine and Anna had similar jobs. Also, in the early stages of Development Delenn was going to be male who transformed into female during her transformation into a Minbari Human Hybrid it's why the makeup for her is so different in the Gathering they were still playing with the idea in the early days of designs for the pilot film.

Babylon 5 was originally going to be destroyed by the Warrior Caste after Delenn broke the Gray Council and thus why they stole B4 which would have been renamed Babylon Prime which would had been a mobile station.

Takashima was originally the Sleeper Agent who would have shot Garibaldi, but the actress left.

The whole Lyta then Talia and Lyta again were all due to the actresses coming and going. It's why both were altered to have stronger abilities than usually telepaths Lyta by the Vorlons and Talia by Jason Ironheart.

If Claudia had stayed it would have been Susan who fell in love with Byron in Season 5 not Lyta, Lyta would have been an unrequited love for Byron.

It's amazing how much JMS had to change and how great it came out honestly, I think it came out better in many ways.

I do wonder if the Reboot series will use some of the lost elements in it.

[Powerboy]

Definitely the 1st U.S. series I can think of that was preplanned from start to finish. Although JMS made a lot of changes not just the season 4/5 issues.

Due to Michael O'Hare mental state the character of John Sheridan was created to fill the void. Originally Jeff was going to be Valen reborn not actually Valen and he would have led them during the Shadow War with Delenn who he would have a son with also it's why Catherine and Anna had similar jobs. Also, in the early stages of Development Delenn was going to be male who transformed into female during her transformation into a Minbari Human Hybrid it's why the makeup for her is so different in the Gathering they were still playing with the idea in the early days of designs for the pilot film.

Babylon 5 was originally going to be destroyed by the Warrior Caste after Delenn broke the Gray Council and thus why they stole B4 which would have been renamed Babylon Prime which would had been a mobile station.

Takashima was originally the Sleeper Agent who would have shot Garibaldi, but the actress left.

The whole Lyta then Talia and Lyta again were all due to the actresses coming and going. It's why both were altered to have stronger abilities than usually telepaths Lyta by the Vorlons and Talia by Jason Ironheart.

If Claudia had stayed it would have been Susan who fell in love with Byron in Season 5 not Lyta, Lyta would have been an unrequited love for Byron.

It's amazing how much JMS had to change and how great it came out honestly, I think it came out better in many ways.

I do wonder if the Reboot series will use some of the lost elements in it.

Interesting. According to the actor who played Doctor Franklin, Sinclair was cut due to the actor being considered too unemotional, too wooden. Well. it was implied.

Supposedly, JMS never wanted Andrea Thompson to begin with and so used her as minimally as possible, according to her.

But, in a huge article, JMS did talk about how he originally intended the Minbari to be shapeshifters, but that would have been yet another similarity to a certain other show.

[Jokerz79]

Interesting. According to the actor who played Doctor Franklin, Sinclair was cut due to the actor being considered too unemotional, too wooden. Well. it was implied.

Supposedly, JMS never wanted Andrea Thompson to begin with and so used her as minimally as possible, according to her.

But, in a huge article, JMS did talk about how he originally intended the Minbari to be shapeshifters, but that would have been yet another similarity to a certain other show.

Michael O'Hare from the sounds of it suffered from a form of paranoid schizophrenia he heard voices and saw messages that weren't there and was having a breakdown during season 1. He went to JMS and told him he had to leave JMS was going to write him out immediately so Michael could get help. But Michael wanted to exit in a way to do as little damage to the show as possible so he held on to finish season 1 and came back to give the character closure.

JMS vowed to never tell anyone the truth to respect Michael's privacy but Michael said just keep the secret until I die.

Michael died in 2012 and JMS revealed all. Richard Briggs who played Franklin died in 2004 he never knew the truth. There were a lot of rumors and gossip during the years of WB executives wanting O'Hare gone due to his acting so Briggs was probably going off that.

[achilles]

Michael O'Hare from the sounds of it suffered from a form of paranoid schizophrenia he heard voices and saw messages that weren't there and was having a breakdown during season 1. He went to JMS and told him he had to leave JMS was going to write him out immediately so Michael could get help. But Michael wanted to exit in a way to do as little damage to the show as possible so he held on to finish season 1 and came back to give the character closure.

JMS vowed to never tell anyone the truth to respect Michael's privacy but Michael said just keep the secret until I die.

Michael died in 2012 and JMS revealed all. Richard Briggs who played Franklin died in 2004 he never knew the truth. There were a lot of rumors and gossip during the years of WB executives wanting O'Hare gone due to his acting so Briggs was probably going off that.

Sad that most of them are dead now. Bill Mumy, Claudia Christian, the guy who played the ranger, Sheridan, and Londo are the only ones still alive AFAIK. IMO, Crusade was a decent spin-off, not great, not terrible. Better than most. That was more a military adventure soft sci-fi than the original show.

[Powerboy]

Michael O'Hare from the sounds of it suffered from a form of paranoid schizophrenia he heard voices and saw messages that weren't there and was having a breakdown during season 1. He went to JMS and told him he had to leave JMS was going to write him out immediately so Michael could get help. But Michael wanted to exit in a way to do as little damage to the show as possible so he held on to finish season 1 and came back to give the character closure.

JMS vowed to never tell anyone the truth to respect Michael's privacy but Michael said just keep the secret until I die.

Michael died in 2012 and JMS revealed all. Richard Briggs who played Franklin died in 2004 he never knew the truth. There were a lot of rumors and gossip during the years of WB executives wanting O'Hare gone due to his acting so Briggs was probably going off that.

At a convention, Biggs said O'Hare called him and told him he didn't think he was going to make the cut for the second season of the show. Biggs never directly insulted O'Hare's acting but we sort of read that into it since the TV Guide reviewer at the time called O'Hare's acting the most wooden he had ever seen. Clearly, Biggs either had no idea of the real story or was not going to make it public knowledge. It sounds like O'Hare just wanted to call and talk to him one last time.

I know somebody with schizophrenia and it is a horrible thing to suffer from, especially since so many people who suffer truly believe they are hearing the voices of demons, angels, or whatever it may be and cannot accept that the voices are only in their minds, even when medication makes the voices go away.