smackfoo.com | I find your lack of faith disturbing.

You know that feeling where you don’t know if you’re awake, or still dreaming?

‘Babylon 5: The Lost Tales’ is a direct-to-DVD project based on the popular series from the mid-1990s. Lost Tales first DVD, titled ‘Voices of the Dark’ has now begun production. As usual, J. Michael Straczynski and Doug Netter will be running the show with Straczynski directing.

I remember the very first episode of series one. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Babylon 5, despite the slightly corny dialogue and initially ‘low budget’ SFX might, just might turn into something special. And it did. Admit it, how many of you, who watched B5, ever got a ‘chill’ as the build up to the exposure of the ’shadows’ progressed?

In a time when Star Trek was either being all too painfully politically correct via The Next Generation, or attempting to capture the same kinds of multi-season story arcs as Deep Space Nine did¹ it stood alone as one of the single best sci-fi series of it’s time.

The characters, President John Sheridan (Boxleitner), Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Scoggins) and the technomage Galen (Woodward) are returning. The Lost Tales is an anthology series of sorts with two movies (previously three) per DVD starting in 2007. Straczynski has commented on Usenet that a more CG-intensive installment is coming in the next batch, featuring the character of Michael Garibaldi (Doyle).”

» Babylon 5 Direct-To-DVD Project In Production

The first two releases will be something special, particularly as start-of-the-art CGI will truly unleash something we’ve not seen in many years — the third, however, will be the one I’m most keen to see.

Garibaldi was one of the most pivotal characters in the entire series.. Watching his rise and fall from grace, the return to alcoholism, becoming a psi-corps pawn, Judas sell-out and eventual redemption made riveting viewing.

With the stagnation of the Star Trek franchise and premature ending of Firefly just leaving us Galactica as about the best thing on TV.. seeing a wonderful universe reborn and remastered will be a refreshing change.

1. .. although, DS9 with it’s addition of a humour and great characters, is quite probably, my most favoured Star Trek series. (↩)