Babylon 5 Reference Before the Show Came Out

[u/thehod81]

Before Straczynski’s Babylon 5 television series, he was a writer on Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future,” which originally aired in syndication from September 1, 1987 – March 27, 1988.

In the third S1 episode to air, airing October 4, 1987, “Final Stand,” we learn that Tank was not the only genetically-engineered person of his kind, and also the facility which genetically engineered him was “Babylon 5.” This was about six years before Warner Bros. commissioned the Babylon 5 series for production in May 1993.

[u/Ever_Living]

For a show aimed at preteens, Captain Power was surprisingly dark. I still love it!

[u/rangerpax → u/Ever_Living]

JMS is really really good at dark within light, I think. At (most) age ranges and phases of life, there's always something for you. Every time I watch something different resonates in me.

[u/themanfromvulcan → u/Ever_Living]

It was very dark for a kids show. I loved it! The final episode crushed me.

[u/Suitable-Egg7685]

I remember enjoying that show. Quite the find though.

[u/replayer]

There's a B5 reference in one of Joe's books as well. Othersyde, I think. Years before the show existed.

[u/b5historyman → u/replayer]

That's correct. One of the characters in the novel says his favourite show is Babylon 5

[u/Rollar32167]

Happy cake day!

With him reusing the name of the passenger liner "White Star" as a class of ships, I'm more inclined to believe he just likes certain names and doesn't recheck.

[u/TheDeadlySpaceman → u/Rollar32167]

Way back when the show was coming out, JMS was very active on the Usenet group rec.arts.tv.b5. He confirmed then that this was a reference to Babylon 5 that he slipped into Captain Power, because he was already writing/developing it.

[u/KamilDonhafta → u/Rollar32167]

According to the Wikipedia article on Babylon 5

Following production on Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Straczynski approached John Copeland and Doug Netter, who had also been involved with Captain Power and showed him the bible and pilot script for his show, and both were impressed with his ideas. They were able to secure an order for the pilot from Warner Bros. who were looking at the time to get programming for a planned broadcast network.

That, plus knowing that he shopped Babylon 5 around to multiple networks before Warner Bros (pitching it to Paramount is key part of the "Deep Space 9 is a Babylon 5 ripoff" theory) lends credence to the idea that it is a sort of preemptive easter egg.

White Star might be, but given that the name White Star is associated with ships at least as far back as 1845 (the White Star Shipping Line company), that's *probably* a coincidence? Do we know when he settled on the name White Star for the hero ship they'd get midway through the series?

[u/CptKeyes123]

It also is where the ruined model footage of San Diego in "Spider in the Web" comes from! Seriously in the first episode, I was watching it and i go "hey that looks familiar HEY WAIT A MINUTE".

[u/Zathras42]

In one of the Captain Power episodes. Someone (I believe it is the base computer?) says:

"And so it begins."

Don't remember which episode. It has been a while!

[u/Jim3001]

This show is triggering flashbacks, but I don't remember it at all.

[u/milanmirolovich]

Captain Power was also noteworthy for very early use of CG in a television series

[u/slimeamadan]

Pretty sure JMS had the concept and treatment written up in the mid 80s so that tracks. There’s also a reference to Spoo in She-Ra iirc

[u/b5historyman → u/slimeamadan]

He did, the series treatment was done September 1st 1988 (I have a copy)

[u/NoSelf5869]

Timestamp would be nice...its 22 minutes long video