15 ‘Babylon 5’ Facts That Are Out of This World

4. A Utopia Mired with Flaws

Straczynski and Gene Roddenberry — the creator of Star Trek — had one big difference when they were plotting out their universes. Unlike Roddenberry’s utopia, Straczynski wanted to create a universe where humanity was still mired in the flaws of our past, where things like greed and infidelity were rampant. Straczynski thought it was better drama that way.

5. The TV Novel

Originally, Straczynski conceived Babylon 5 as a kind of “novel for television,” something that was meant to be viewed from start to finish, in order. At the time of the show’s release, 1994, this concept was fairly, ahem, novel on television. Straczynski pulled inspiration from Asimov’s Foundation and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

6. One Sole Guest Writer

Straczynski had an unmistakable vision in mind for his series, and — as a result — he was the only person to write episodes for the show for the entirety of its last three seasons. Straczynski, of course, yielded control of the show for one writer: famed author Neil Gaiman, who wrote the season five episode, “Day of the Dead”.