Check out the first ever promo-poster for Babylon 5 named ‘Image of the day’ by blastr.com

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J. Michael Straczynski is best known to sci-fi fans for his epic television series Babylon 5 but what you may not be aware of is that he is presently developing a new and massive sci-fi film titled Lensman.

Lensman is based on a series of science fiction stories by famed author Edward Elmer “Doc” Smith (1890 – 1965).  The stories follow a struggle between two powerful races that came to our universe billions of years ago from outside of our time-space continuum – one to rule the emerging life in our universe and one attempting to protect it.  A breeding program is instigated upon multiple planets (including Earth) by those trying to protect the universe.  In time, a number of beings from these programs are selected to become guardians of the universe.  In what might be paralleled (in concept at least) to the Green Lantern, these chosen few wear a ‘lens’ , a life-force power created by an elder race of our universe that gives the wearer a variety of super abilities.  This group becomes a type of galactic police force, entrusted with the task of battling to save, well, everything.

It is no exaggeration to say that Smith’s stories are so epic they are difficult to summarise without going into great length and that my summary above hardly does the story justice at all.  If you want to learn more about the story, Wikipedia currently has quite a detailed run down.  In any case, suffice it to say that the film offers nothing short of mega-potential and may be a film of such grand scale that, even in consideration of James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar, has the potential to be one of the biggest sci-fi films of all time.

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J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 has led the modern sci-fi series into the realms of being too complicated, confusing for newcomers and an inconvenience to watch, if you are to believe Jonathon Wright of The Guardian.

Whilst seemingly whining about the fact that the upcoming Torchwood: Children of Earth is a five-part story arc, Wright managed to weave in a reference to Babylon 5, laying blame at the feet of B5 creator J. Michael Straczynski for, believe it or not, leading the charge that has made any sci-fi series with a story arc potentially worth boycotting.

From The Guardian:

Personally, I blame J Michael Straczynski. Back in the early 1990s, Straczynski, or JMS as fans know him, created Babylon 5. When it was first shown on Channel 4, it looked like a science-fiction series about a space station. The CGI was a bit shonky, but it passed the time.

Inexorably, though, it became clear that JMS, a control freak who wrote 92 of the show’s 110 episodes himself, had an overarching vision. It involved a portentous brew of big themes – politics, destiny, war, peace, love. If you tried to start watching Babylon 5 with series three, you were left hopelessly confused.

It’s not just that story arcs are confusing for newcomers. Following the Babylon 5 template, they inevitably become sluggish and slow, weighed down by the baggage of past events.

To be honest, I’m not sure if Wright sincerely dislikes story arcs or if his article is actually a form of tongue in cheek sarcasm.  I imagine, from some of his other comments, that his view is a mixture of both.

I’d love to say I’ll be boycotting the [Torchwood: Children of Earth], but as you’ve probably guessed by now, I’d be fibbing. Still, I want to put down a marker: the next time a new science-fiction series comes along, I’m bailing out at the first hint of a story arc. Except (and you’d guess producers know this too) it’ll be too late by then – I’ll be hooked.

Whether his article is meant to be serious or not, I have only one comment of my own:

Three cheers for J. Michael Straczynski.

Source: The Guardian via io9

It has been fifteen years since Babylon 5 first aired on television and a decade since its five year story-arc ran its course.  The series has gathered thousands of fans and spawned some very average made-for-tv movies (although Babylon 5: In the Beginning was excellent).  In 2007 its creator J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) was handed a smallish $2M to produce a series of new Babylon 5 tales titled, well, Babylon 5: The Lost Tales.  These didn’t go so well and in the end JMS announced to the world that he was putting Babylon 5 to rest.  Well sort of.

Just like the rest of us, JMS was happy with the original five year story of Babylon 5 and after receiving low budgets for all the B5 follow ups he decided subsequent B5 productions were doing more harm than good to the series.  With The Lost Tales not doing so well thanks in part to too small a budget, JMS decided that further B5 material would work against B5 than for.  He announced that he’d no longer go down the B5 path unless in the form of a big budget B5 movie.  No big budget movie, no more new B5.  For most fans, that news was taken as the nail in the coffin for the franchise.

But the nail may have just been pulled out.  JMS is the man behind the screenplay for Changeling and if you haven’t heard, Changeling has been nominated for a BAFTA award by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.  Also, although not nominated for a screenplay Oscar, Changeling has received three Academy Award nominations.  Further, JMS has written the script for Forbidden Planet and it seems his script is something special (even James Cameron is taking notice).  All these new developments and as luck would have it, attention has now turned JMS’s way. Read the rest of this entry »