Babylon 5 20th Anniversary

[Dan Dassow]

Happy 20th anniversary!

I vividly remember viewing "The Gathering".

The Strange, Secret Evolution of Babylon 5
Jason Shankel
http://io9.com/5985727/the-strange-s...?post=57659618

February 22, 2013, marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Babylon 5: The Gathering, the pilot film for what would eventually become the Babylon 5 television series. The show arguably changed the way narrative television works, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also changed the rules for TV creators by actively engaging his fanbase online during the show's production. ...

[Sebastian]

So I just realized when Chipmunk asked if anyone is doing something special today, he was directly referring to B5's birthday. I missed that and thought it was just a general question, a-durrrr. Guess I should have made the connection with the title of this thread, eh?

Originally Posted by Sinclair's Fan

Warners needs some bold, gutsy, new blood to step forward and say that this show deserves to have money spent on it and will make a lucrative return courtesy of its loyal fans and new viewers alike.

Is it me or does WB treat B5 a little like its red-headed stepchild of franchises? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I've never felt the love from them when it comes to B5. Seems like there is a great deal more they could be doing with it but they're not. Just an impression I've gotten over the years.

Originally Posted by Sinclair's Fan

So, is anyone else going to mark the occasion with their favourite episode(s)? Or just stick with the pilot film? Or both?

Once per decade is generally good for me where the pilot is concerned, and I just watched both versions, so I'll skip that I'm content to follow the pace of the rewatch thread for the other episodes for the time being. But who knows? Severed Dreams may mysteriously find its way onto my TV at some point in the evening...

[Jan]

Originally Posted by Sebastian

Is it me or does WB treat B5 a little like its red-headed stepchild of franchises? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I've never felt the love from them when it comes to B5. Seems like there is a great deal more they could be doing with it but they're not. Just an impression I've gotten over the years.

From what JMS has said, it's not that WB has any particular dislike for B5, it's that they have *the* most dysfunctional corporate structure imaginable. At WB, each division actively competes with all the others, so while another company might (for example) have the Home Video department cooperate with the department in charge of offering the show to stations for re-running, neither will do either for fear the other one will get ahead. It's also why there's never going to be a blu-ray - that would cost money first, before return on investment.

But at least, thanks to their benign neglect, we got the show.

Jan

[cornholio1980]

I really would have loved to re-watch "The Gathering" (even if I probably would have cheated and gone for the remastered version), but I was just too busy today . But I'm on vacation next week, I might make up for it then.

Then again: The B5 pilot premiered in Germany (and while I'm from Austria, we do get german channels, so I watched it there) on August 3rd 1995, so I actually got more than two years left until "my" 20th B5 anniversary .

[glindros]

Just for giggles I went to the warnerbros.com to see if there was even a little blurb. B5 isn't on the site at all. I finally found a reference at the WBshop site for the dvd's but that was it. Do they even remember they own it?

Kidding aside, I didn't expect much from WB, and they met my expectations.

[Ubik]

Originally Posted by glindros

Just for giggles I went to the warnerbros.com to see if there was even a little blurb. B5 isn't on the site at all. I finally found a reference at the WBshop site for the dvd's but that was it. Do they even remember they own it?

Kidding aside, I didn't expect much from WB, and they met my expectations.

That's pretty lame. I somehow doubt Paramount would fail to mark a Trek anniversary of this magnitude.

In any case nice to see the article on io9, and fans rallying to celebrate B5 in general. We should have done a mass JMS News skype call to watch The Gathering together.

[Sinclair's Fan]

Originally Posted by Ubik

We should have done a mass JMS News skype call to watch The Gathering together.

That's a good idea, (though sadly I don't have skype). Maybe we can arrange something monumental for next year, and try to get WB's attention!
Do people celebrate 21st anniversaries in The States? Ah, heck..., let's just go for it!

[Jan]

Just found this on Claudia's Facebook page. I've asked if it's promotional or if the photo(s) will be available to fans. Hope to see any answer she might post.

Originally Posted by Claudia Christian

Doing cast photos with the B5 group next week for the 20th anniversary....will be great to see everyone! http://fb.me/1AuP5fauO

Stay tuned...

And an immediate answer!

Originally Posted by Claudia Christian

It will be Bruce, Mira, Bill, Stephen, Pat and me for the first shot and yes they will be in AZ at the reunion convention David Honl is going to take the pics!

Jan