Long reduced to being a sci-fi TV curio that is one of the non-Trek shows, Babylon 5 evolved into something epic and fascinating – and now, original series creator J. Michael Straczynski (who went on to co-crate the likes of Netflix's Sense8) is back to work on a reboot of the 1990s show for US network The CW.
B5, which originally kicked off with a 1993 pilot and then ran for five seasons, was a precursor of most of the serialised shows that have followed since – cooked up by Straczynski as one long story told across the various seasons (with episodes pushing the arc forward plus their own narratives), it was an ambitious experiment sometimes hamstrung by low budgets and dodgy scheduling – when the show was cancelled at one point, Straczynski (who wrote many episodes himself) had to effectively cram two seasons' worth of story into one, and then figure out how to make the fifth season work.
The original show starred Michael O'Hare as Jeffrey Sinclair, a human commander assigned to the titular, five-mile long space station located in neutral territory, a port of call for travelers, smugglers, corporate explorers and alien diplomats at a time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war. His complicated background with one of the main other races involved in the place formed the crux of the first season before Bruce Boxleitner's Captain John Sheridan took over in the second, and steered it through the remainder of the show along with his colleagues. They dealt with disagreements, crises and, oh yes... fought a massive, galaxy-spanning war again ancient alien forces. Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, Stephen Furst, Mira Furlan and Richard Briggs were among the other regulars.
What form the new show will exactly take remains to be seen: The Hollywood Reporter's story on the reboot mentions a focus on Sheridan and co. with a new cast to be announced, though to be honest, we're better off waiting for Straczynski to comment, and then waiting to see if it actually ends up on screens. The avalanche has already started; it is too late for the pebbles to vote.