五號站的很大部份是居住區,配合各種族群的生理需求提供不同比例的大氣和重力[9]。地球人、注重心靈修為的明巴利人,帝國主義的聖陶利人(Centauri)、不久前才被聖陶利殖民的拿爾人(Narn)、以及先進而神秘的沃隆人(Vorlon)為五個影響力較大的種族,另外數十個較弱的種族組成類似第三世界的「不結盟世界聯盟(League of Non-Aligned Worlds)」,包括Drazi、Brakiri、Vree、Markab和pak'ma'ra等。暗地裡,古老而神秘的影族(Shadow)正伺機製造混亂。
每季對應劇中一年的時間,每季標題取自該季故事最核心的一集。
第一季:蛛絲馬跡(1994年首播)
巴比倫五號的站長Sinclair是地球-明巴利戰爭中的英雄,但是一直無法記得他在戰場上的最後一天。支持他的明巴利大使 Delenn 背地裡是領導明巴利的灰色議會成員,而其他明巴利人大多不信任他。拿爾政權不久前才脫離聖陶利共和國的殖民,聖陶利大使 Mollari 結識了神秘人 Morden,借用他的武力攻擊了拿爾。在地球上,排外團體反對地球人和外星人接觸,而支持開放的 Santiago 總統被暗殺。
第二季:黑影來臨(1994-1995年首播)
Sinclair被調任為駐明巴利星大使,Sheridan 接替站長一職。他和 Delenn 認為 Santiago 總統是被暗殺,副總統 Clark 接任後慢慢建立起極權政府。年邁的聖陶利皇帝駕崩,Mollari 和 Refa 利用機會安排傀儡 Cartagia 繼位。聖陶利借助 Morden 背後的影族,對拿爾開戰並重新拿下拿爾人的母星。沃隆大使 Kosh 要求 Sheridan 協助對抗影族。
有些集的故事焦點就是宗教,例如在第一季的《The Parliament of Dreams》,巴比倫五號上的各種族向大家展示自己的宗教,而人類的代表選擇展示人類宗教的多樣性[35],第三季的《Passing Through Gethsemane》則探討天主教的其中一條信念,以及正義、報仇和原諒的意義[41][42]。也有一些爭議性較明顯的故事,例如第一季由 David Gerrold 寫的《Believers》講述外星家長因為宗教信仰,寧可讓孩子死去也拒絕讓他動手術[35]。另外即便是與宗教無關的故事,宗教也可能以不明顯的方式出現,例如作為嘆詞、祝福、或背景人物[43]。
斯特拉日恩斯基認為當時大多數科幻劇集在「好的電視節目」和「好的科幻故事」之間只能達成其中之一,而他希望《巴比倫五號》能夠兩者皆是。不像先前的任何電視節目,要能把各別的故事放在更廣大的畫布上。對科幻影集的影響,則要如霹靂警探(Hill Street Blues)對警察劇的影響,用成人的方式看待主題。他強調他的方法是認真看待科幻、為成人觀眾打造角色、使用真實的科學、以角色為故事的核心。他拋棄一些科幻影集常見的設定,沒有小孩子和可愛的機器人,要的不是烏托邦的未來,而是有貪婪和無家可歸;角色會成長、生活和死亡,而不是每天事情結束後又回到原點。斯特拉日恩斯基說馬克吐溫為一大影響,希望影集能映照出真實世界,用不明顯的方式說理。[50][51][52][47]
在製作第四季時,播放《巴比倫五號》的PTEN電視聯播網被取消,造成第五季命懸一線。 為求讓影迷看到完整的故事,斯特拉日恩斯基修改第四、五季的劇本,要是第五季未能續約,也仍能說完故事。他整理出三條需要收尾的劇情線:影族戰爭、變得獨裁的地球、以及一系列由前兩者分叉出的支線。在抽除與此三者較無關的獨立故事後,他估計共需要27集的空間才能處理好,超出一季的22集。沒地方放的多餘五集正好巧遇特納電視網決定資助兩部《巴比倫五號》的電視電影。於是他把本來會佔據三集時間的地球-明巴利戰爭獨立成《巴比倫五號:In the Beginning》,本來要用來建立下一個系列影集《十字軍》的支線獨立成《巴比倫五號:A Call to Arms》。其他本來要放在第四季的故事就移到不一定會播出的第五季,或放入《十字軍》。要作為全劇結局的《Sleeping in Light》也在第四季拍完。後來確定製作第五季,但第四季仍維持了更改過的緊湊編排,並拍攝了原本安排給第四季的結局,事先拍好的全劇結局則留到第五季最後播放。[60][61]
在1995到2001年間,法蘭克以自己的Sonic Images唱片公司出版了 24 張影集配樂專輯和三張電影配樂專輯,曲目完全如同在劇中出現的編排。另外還有三張重新編曲和混音過的精選專輯。2007年的DVD電影《巴比倫五號: The Lost Tales》的配樂則是由Varèse Sarabande唱片公司發行。
1995年華納家庭影片(Warner Home Video)開始透過旗下的Beyong Vision在英國發行《巴比倫五號》的錄影帶。一開始是用PAL格式的影帶,長寬比和電視相同為4:3。發行到第二季時,錄影帶中包括字幕和杜比環繞音響。1997年起Columbia House開放郵購NTSC格式的錄影帶,1999年發行重新包裝過的收藏板一箱三卷套裝,此時原本的試播集已經重新剪輯成特納電視網的特別版。到2000年以前華納兄弟也發行電影和全季套裝。
1998~1999年 Image Entertainment 發行了《巴比倫五號》雷射影碟。用的是雙面12吋先鋒光碟,每片有兩集,比例為4:3,有杜比環繞音響和字幕。從兩部特納電視網的電影《巴比倫五號:In the Beginning》和重新剪輯的試播集開始,接下來六個月陸繼發行了第一季和第五季;第二季和第四季發行到一半時停止,因為說要發行DVD的謠言造成銷量不佳。[98]
在2001年華納家庭影片開始發行《巴比倫五號》的DVD,首先發行的是一組兩部電影,《In The Beginning》以及重新剪輯的特納電視網特別版的試播集《The Gathering》。2002年四月,兩部片又獨立發行第二區的DVD,不過有些地方賣的是原版的《The Gathering》。
舉例來說,許多集的標題化用自莎士比亞的名句[101][102],並且至少有一位角色曾直接從莎士比亞的《李爾王》引經據典[103]。劇中多處引用亞瑟王傳說的典故,例如一艘取名為「王者之劍」的船,第三季《A Late Delivery from Avalon》中一位角色自稱是亞瑟王,拿著一把他宣稱是王者之劍的劍在站上闖蕩;斯特拉日恩斯基也點出地球-明巴利戰爭的起因類似《亞瑟之死》其中的一個場景,兩軍緊張對峙,因為無意間的小動作被誤會而開戰[104]。
在近代史方面,在《In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum》中 Sheridan 面對道德難題時,說了邱吉爾在面對考文垂大轟炸的故事,思索他為了長遠的戰事規畫,不利用已知的情報來救人時,背後的心境。另一個典故是劇中 Santiago 總統被刺後,副總統 Clark 宣誓就職的場景刻意模仿了甘迺迪遇刺後,林登·詹森在空軍一號上宣誓就職的場景[110]。
雖然斯特拉日恩斯基是無神論者,巴比倫五號多處提到基督教。許多集的標題取自基督教典故,例如《Passing Through Gethsemane》、《A Voice in the Wilderness》和《And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place》。劇中也使用過幾次基督教聖歌,並且在常設角色中包括一群居住在巴比倫五號的天主教修士。
《巴比倫五號:The Lost Tales》:發行於2007年7月31日的直出DVD電影,包含兩個小故事。原本有計畫出一系列的電影,但因為華納兄弟不願意提高預算,斯特拉日恩斯基決定不再製作。
漫畫
1994年12月到1995年10月,DC漫畫開始每月發行《巴比倫五號》漫畫,共出了11期,這些故事都有斯特拉日恩斯基的背書,視為正典[161][162],斯特拉日恩斯基對每一期的內容都有直接或間接貢獻[163][164]。有些漫畫中的事件後來在影集中被提及[165]。故事後來這系列參與的作家包括斯特拉日恩斯基、Mark Moretti、Timothy DeHaas、David Gerrold,並且出了三本平裝本:Titan Books發行的《Babylon 5》和《Shadows Past and Present》以及DC漫畫發行的《The Price of Peace》。
1997年Del Rey向華納兄弟買下了出版權,出了三系列三部曲直接由斯特拉日恩斯基安排劇情,並將特納電視網的三部電視電影(《Babylon 5: In the Beginning》、《Babylon 5: Thirdspace》、《Babylon 5: A Call to Arms》)改編為小說。這些書全部視為正史[167]:
心感團三部曲,1998~1999年由Gregory Keyes撰寫,分別為《Dark Genesis – The Birth of the Psi Corps》、《Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant》、《Final Reckoning – The Fate of Bester》,三者的精裝本為《The Psi Corps Trilogy》
聖陶利三部曲,1999~2000年由Peter David撰寫,分別為《The Long Night of Centauri Prime》、《Armies of Light and Dark》、《Out of the Darkness》,三者的精裝本為《Babylon 5: Legions of Fire》
科技魔法師三部曲,2001年由Jeanne Cavelos撰寫,分別為《 Casting Shadows》、《Summoning Light》、《Invoking Darkness》,三者的精裝本為《Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages》,另有獨立前傳《Babylon 5: The Shadow Within》
有六篇短篇小說於1999~2000年間發表:包括在驚奇故事雜誌上,斯特拉日恩斯基發表的《The Shadow of His Thoughts》、《Genius Loci》和《Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic》,以及在巴比倫五號官方雜誌上斯特拉日恩斯基的《Hidden Agendas》、Fiona Avery的《True Seeker》以及J. Gregory Keyes的《The Nautilus Coil》。
1997年 Component Game Systems 公司為他們的遊戲系統發行了《巴比倫五號》版本。這是個複雜的政治軍事遊戲,有許多另外販售的擴充包和組件,每個玩家只需買自己部份的組件,代表的是《巴比倫五號》世界中的某個政治實體。玩家將各自的組件放在一起後進行遊戲,遊戲時間約五小時。Component Game Systems在1999年關閉,只發行了《巴比倫五號》五年故事中前兩年的相關組件。
1998年Agents Gaming發行了戰爭遊戲《Babylon 5 Wars》。這個遊戲是和斯特拉日恩斯基密切合作下製作,大多數內容被視為正史[170]。該公司之後又發行了《Babylon: 5 Fleet Action》更專注於大歸模太空戰。2004年Mongoose Publishing雇用了Agents Gaming的員工後,發行了《Babylon 5: A Call to Arms》,遊戲類似《Babylon 5 Wars》,但是規則更簡單,遊戲時間較短。
市場上沒有官方授權的《巴比倫五號》電玩遊戲。1998年雪樂山曾經開發一款《巴比倫五號》的遊戲,名為《Into the Fire》,但在1999年遊戲離發行只有幾個月時,雪樂山因為公司重組,取消了該計畫[171]。遊戲原本安排讓玩家扮演戰機駕駛,可以升官、指揮戰隊,請來法蘭克為遊戲配樂,並請了主要演員演出遊戲中的一些影片。
^Straczynski, J. Michael. JMSNews Re: ATTN: JMS Books and TV Plot. jmsnews.com. 1996-04-26 [2019-02-24]. (原始内容存档于2020-07-22) (英语). My theory is that *in general* the novels and comics tend to be canon, but the details may not always be, mainly because it's virtually impossible to ride herd on every single line of all this the way I do the show. It physically can't be done. But where possible, we keep it as close to cointinuity [sic] as possible.
^Britt, Ryan. The Most Important Sci-Fi Show of the '90s Hits Amazon Prime in June. Inverse. [2019-02-16]. (原始内容存档于2021-01-16) (英语). in the Nineties it was still exceedingly rare for a TV show to have episodes directly lead into each other. Two-part episodes were a big deal, and season long story arcs (with the obvious exception of daytime soap operas) were unheard of. But, Babylon 5 changed all that.
^Straczynski, J. Michael. JMSNews You say, "New characters and sets.... jmsnews.com. 1993-01-22 [2019-02-24]. (原始内容存档于2019-08-28) (英语). One final note: B5 has always been conceived as, fundamentally, a five year story, a novel for television, which makes it very different as well.
^ 17.017.117.2Straczynski, J. Michael. JMS Speaks. Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. [2007-11-07]. (原始内容存档于2007-10-13). The notion of the Vorlons and Shadows representing Order and Chaos goes back to the Babylonian creation myths, that the universe was born in the conflict between order and chaos, hence part of the reason I decided to name this show after Babylon. That's called *research*. It informs the show, but it is not the show.
^Straczynski, J. Michael. ZHD – Thoughts. JMSNews. 1996-05-11 [2019-02-24]. (原始内容存档于2020-10-28).
^Babylon Five S 05 E 19 The Wheel Of Fire / Recap. TV Tropes. [2019-02-19]. (原始内容存档于2020-09-19). ...children of alcoholics usually wind up one of two ways, either they try to help everybody else because they couldn't help themselves, or they become alcoholics. I couldn't stop what was happening to my father, so I became the very thing I hated.
^ 47.047.1Straczynski, J. Michael. Babylon 5 (GEnie) posts by JMS for April, 1992. The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. Steven Grimm. April 1992 [2009-10-19]. (原始内容存档于1994-03-13). I *love* sagas, and B5 will present a chance to tell that kind of saga. ... But this is hardly revelation; the world of SF print has been doing this now ever since the Lensman books. The job now is translating that approach to television...
^Straczynski, J. Michael. Well, lemme comment on that. One.... JMSNews. 1991-12-05 [2019-02-24]. (原始内容存档于2020-10-28) (英语). How they want solid characters, imaginative stories, no kids or cute robots, using science the way it should be used, not talking down to the audience. That desire has been noted.
^JMS conference on Compuserve: full logged text. 1995-12-03 [2019-02-08]. (原始内容存档于2015-06-20). I knew that the best series set up where the stories come to you, in a police station or a hospital or a law office, and decided in an SF environment a space station would work well for that...added the backdrop of myth and archetype, constructed a Hero's Journey, and took it from there.
^Guide Page: "The Quality of Mercy". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. 2004-07-13 [2019-02-08]. (原始内容存档于2021-01-26). "The Quality of Mercy" title is drawn from the same source as Compton's book, Shakespeare.
^Guide Page: Infection. The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. 1999-11-05 [2019-02-08]. (原始内容存档于2018-01-29). "How sharper than a serpent's tooth." (His reply to Garibaldi's joking guess that Sinclair's interview would get him shipped off the station and himself promoted into Sinclair's position.) This is a quote from Shakespeare (King Lear.)
^Guide Page: "The Coming of Shadows". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. 2004-07-13 [2019-02-08]. (原始内容存档于2012-06-29). The G'Kar-Emperor thread was similar to the King Arthur legend: Arthur's and Mordred's armies are poised for battle but make one last attempt to negotiate, but a soldier raises his sword to kill a snake and everyone attacks. There's another applicable metaphor for the sword story; you'll see it a little later [in season 3].
^Babylon 5 Behind the Scenes: Literary and Historical References. www.midwinter.com. [2019-02-02]. (原始内容存档于2021-03-10). The antagonist in "Mind War" was named after Alfred Bester, author of "The Demolished Man," a classic SF work about telepathy. The novel also featured a telepaths' guild similar in many ways to B5's Psi Corps.
^Killick, Jane. B5: No Surrender, No Retreat. Del Rey. 1998: 36. ISBN 978-0345424501. (Quoting J. Michael Straczynski) Caligula is probably the most obvious comparison, hence why I had that name reflect that sound a little bit. I wanted someone who you would be very much in fear of, not because he was rampaging around screaming all the time, but because he was completely and totally arbitrary. 含有內容需登入查看的頁面 (link)
^I, Cartagia: a mad emperor in Babylon 5 and his historical antecedents | The Science Fiction Foundation. www.sf-foundation.org. [2019-02-07]. (原始内容存档于2019-02-09). ...there is a clear reference to I, Claudius included in Babylon 5. In 'Falling Towards Apotheosis', Cartagia introduces Mollari to his secret 'council' of the severed heads of senior figures he has had executed. He mentions that one was always coughing, but that he has now cured this (by cutting his head off). This is a clear reference to a scene in I, Claudius, in the episode 'Zeus, by Jove'. Gemellus, co-heir of the previous emperor Tiberius and therefore rival of Caligula, has a persistent cough. Caligula has him executed, and when his severed head is brought into his presence, he tells Claudius "I cured his cough."
^Guide Page: "Chrysalis". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. 2004-07-13 [2019-02-08]. (原始内容存档于2021-01-26). [Straczynski] I gave very particular instructions to re-create the staging of the photograph in which Lyndon Johnson takes over from JFK after the assassination. The same layout, posture, background, and so on. We even had a photo on set for reference. The creepy thing is that the day we shot the scene was the anniversary of the day it actually took place; very weird atmosphere on set that day.
^Babylon 5 Grid Epsilon Irregulars. Worlds of JMS. [2019-02-19]. (原始内容存档于2021-01-26). In recognition of their support, JMS placed the Babylon 5 station in Grid Epsilon -- taking the "GE" from GEnie.
^Babylon 5 Resources: Fans. The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. [2019-02-19]. (原始内容存档于2008-10-29). The location of Babylon 5 is at Grid Epsilon 470,18,22 which corresponds to the original location of the Babylon 5 topic on GEnie (Page 470, CAT 18, Topic 22).
^The Top Science Fiction TV Series. Doug Mann, Professor of Media Studies and Sociology, University of Western Ontario and King's College. 2010-05-07 [2011-12-22]. (原始内容存档于2011-12-07).
^Dom. "Babylon 5" Retrospective (Legacy). NardiViews. 2015-03-02 [2019-02-22]. (原始内容存档于2020-10-21) (英语). Unfortunately, the production values date the show. As TV screens get bigger and audiences become accustomed to HD, I worry that most modern viewers will be put off by the dated effects and low visual quality.
^ 148.0148.1Granshaw, Lisa. An oral history of Babylon 5: The beloved TV novel that showed a different way to tell sci-fi. SYFY WIRE. 2018-06-27 [2019-02-22]. (原始内容存档于2020-12-19) (英语). The biggest legacy in many ways has been the five-year arc. In the years since B5, starting with Lost and Battlestar [Galactica], which took that concept to its next level, nearly every dramatic series now has a multi-year arc. What started out the aberration has become the rule. That one singular development changed the television landscape forever in ways that we are still discovering.
^Straczynski, J. Michael. nic, you persist in this notion.... JMSNews. Midnight Design Productions, LLC. 1992-02-04 [2019-02-24]. (原始内容存档于2020-11-28).
^Straczynski, J. Michael. Grand Theft, drama!. JMSNews. Midnight Design Productions, LLC. 1997-09-15 [2019-02-24]. (原始内容存档于2020-07-22).
^ 154.0154.1Michael Straczynski, J. B5 information from GEnie. National Technical University of Athens. [2016-07-06]. (原始内容存档于2020-11-18). If there is any (to use your term) winking and nudging going on, it's on the level of 'Okay, YOU (Paramount) know what happened, and *I* know what happened, but let's try to be grownup about it for now,' though I must say that the shapechanging thing nearly tipped me back over the edge again. If there are no more major similarities that crop up in the next few weeks or months, with luck we can continue that way.
^Straczynski, J. Michael. Re: ATTN JMS: Question about B5 novels. rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (Archived at JMSNews.com). 1997-02-15 [2012-10-31]. (原始内容存档于2016-03-04).
^Straczynski, J. Michael. Re: ATTN: JMS Books and TV Plot. rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (Archived at JMSNews.com). 1996-04-25 [2012-10-31]. (原始内容存档于2016-03-03).
^Straczynski, J. Michael. JMS: Don't do it!!!!!. rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (Archived at JMSNews.com). 1994-10-19 [2012-10-31]. (原始内容存档于2016-03-04).
^Straczynski, J. Michael. Sinclair, Garibaldi, Ivanova:. rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (Archived at JMSNews.com). 1994-10-19 [2012-10-31]. (原始内容存档于2016-03-04).