J. Michael Straczynski

Straczynski started in television in 1983, working on various animated shows, and he quickly worked his way from staff writer to executive producer, culminating in his most famous television work: Babylon 5 (for which he won back-to-back Hugo Awards). He wrote 91 out of Babylon 5's 110 episodes, as well as the pilot and five television movies. The character-driven space opera is also notable for its five year story arc, gritty realism, and its pioneering, extensive use of CGI for its special effects. Straczynski was also creator and executive producer of B5's aborted sequel series, C ...

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J. Michael Straczynski, J. Michael Straczynski - Early years, J. Michael Straczynski - Television, J. Michael Straczynski - Novels and short stories, J. Michael Straczynski - Comic books, J. Michael Straczynski - Graphic novels and collections, J. Michael Straczynski - Other work, J. Michael Straczynski - Awards, J. Michael Straczynski - Trivia

Read more here: » J. Michael Straczynski: Encyclopedia II - J. Michael Straczynski - Television

Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The music for the TV series and related TV movies was composed by Christopher Franke. The pilot movie, The Gathering, aired on February 22, 1993, and the regular series initially aired from January 26, 1994 through November 25, 1998, first in syndication on the short-lived Prime Time Entertainment Network, then on cable network TNT. Because the show was aired every week in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 without a break, the last four or five episodes of the e ...

Including:

• Babylon 5 - Concept
• Babylon 5 - Cast and primary characters
• Babylon 5 - Regular cast
• Babylon 5 - Recurring guest characters
• Babylon 5 - Babylon stations
• Babylon 5 - Ethnicity and language of characters
• Babylon 5 - Usage of English
• Babylon 5 - Civilizations
• Babylon 5 - Themes
• Babylon 5 - Authoritarianism vs. chaos; light vs. dark vs. gray
• Babylon 5 - War and peace
• Babylon 5 - Love and true seekers
• Babylon 5 - Fighting the system
• Babylon 5 - Addiction
• Babylon 5 - The Five Questions
• Babylon 5 - Music and scoring
• Babylon 5 - The episodes
• Babylon 5 - Other made-for-TV movies
• Babylon 5 - Spin-offs
• Babylon 5 - Crusade
• Babylon 5 - Legend of the Rangers
• Babylon 5 - The Memory of Shadows
• Babylon 5 - Novels novelizations short stories and comic books
• Babylon 5 - Novels
• Babylon 5 - Novelizations
• Babylon 5 - Short Stories
• Babylon 5 - Comic Books
• Babylon 5 - DVDs
• Babylon 5 - Mastering problems
• Babylon 5 - Video games
• Babylon 5 - Other merchandise
• Babylon 5 - Trivia

Read more here: » Babylon 5: Encyclopedia - Babylon 5

He has received a good deal of recognition for his work, including a nomination for the Comics' Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Writer in 2000. His awards, numbering in the dozens, include: two Hugo awards, the Ray Bradbury Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the Saturn Award, the E Pluribus Unum Award from the American Cinema Foundation, the Eisner Award, the Inkpot Award, and th ...

See also:

J. Michael Straczynski, J. Michael Straczynski - Early years, J. Michael Straczynski - Television, J. Michael Straczynski - Novels and short stories, J. Michael Straczynski - Comic books, J. Michael Straczynski - Graphic novels and collections, J. Michael Straczynski - Other work, J. Michael Straczynski - Awards, J. Michael Straczynski - Trivia

Read more here: » J. Michael Straczynski: Encyclopedia II - J. Michael Straczynski - Awards

Alfred Bester is the name of a fictional character in the television series Babylon 5, played by Walter Koenig. The character was named in honor of science-fiction author Alfred Bester. Bester is a senior Psi Corps agent who appears to be linked to the sinister alien race called The Shadows and the conspiracy which led to the seemingly accidental death of former Earth President Santiago. The similarity of Bester's name to that of the science fiction writer is no coincidence. Psi powers were a recurring theme in the real Bester's work, and Babylon 5 ...

Including:

• Alfred Bester Babylon 5 - The books

Read more here: » Alfred Bester Babylon 5: Encyclopedia - Alfred Bester Babylon 5

Straczynski hails from Paterson, New Jersey. According to the jacket bio for the first edition of his scriptwriting text (see Other work below), Straczynski had a play produced when he was 17, a sitcom produced when he was 21, and sold his first movie script when he was 24. By the age of 28, he had credits that included television and film scripts, radio scripts for Alien Worlds and the Mutual Broadcasting System, a dozen plays, and more than 150 newspaper and magazine articles. He had also been teaching his craft for several years at vari ...

See also:

J. Michael Straczynski, J. Michael Straczynski - Early years, J. Michael Straczynski - Television, J. Michael Straczynski - Novels and short stories, J. Michael Straczynski - Comic books, J. Michael Straczynski - Graphic novels and collections, J. Michael Straczynski - Other work, J. Michael Straczynski - Awards, J. Michael Straczynski - Trivia

Read more here: » J. Michael Straczynski: Encyclopedia II - J. Michael Straczynski - Early years

"By Any Means Necessary" was originally titled "Backlash." This episode was written by Kathryn M. Drennan, wife of Babylon 5 creator and executive producer J. Michael Straczynski. In order to avoid the appearance of favoritism, Straczynski had her submit (rather than be assigned) a premise, and required to be approved by others in the production crew other than him. Unlike most writers, for whom Straczynski revised scripts himself, revision ...

See also:

By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5, By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5 - Plot synopsis, By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5 - Arc significance, By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5 - Production details, By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5 - Trivia

Read more here: » By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5: Encyclopedia II - By Any Means Necessary Babylon 5 - Production details

Spoo initially appeared in the first episode of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, when it was briefly mentioned by the Narn Ambassador, G'Kar.[1] J. Michael Straczynski, the show's creator, executive producer, and writer of the episode in question, was soon deluged by questions from fans from the various online message boards on which he frequently participated. At first, Straczynski's responses were intentionally vague and terse: ...

See also:

Spoo, Spoo - Origins in Babylon 5, Spoo - The creatures, Spoo - Taste and uses, Spoo - As a commodity, Spoo - Real-world spoo, Spoo - Real-world etymology of the word, Spoo - Current usage, Spoo - Additional references

Read more here: » Spoo: Encyclopedia II - Spoo - Origins in Babylon 5

Minbar is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Minbari race on the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The planet and race were named (by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski) after the Islamic pulpit known as a minbar. Minbar is located in the Chi Draconis A star system - a binary star system. It is the seventh planet in orbit around the local suns. The system is just over 25 light years from Earth. Like Earth, Minbar has an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere. The polar caps are larger than those on Earth, the norther ...

See also:

Minbari, Minbari - Homeworld, Minbari - Society, Minbari - Government, Minbari - Religion, Minbari - Biology, Minbari - Language

Read more here: » Minbari: Encyclopedia II - Minbari - Homeworld

The vignette that takes place one thousand years later in a monastery is almost identical (contextually) to Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. While writing the episode, series creator J. Michael Straczynski noted the similarities: It was only when I was about halfway into the act that I thought, "Oh, crud, this is the same area Canticle explored." And for several days I set it aside and strongly considered dropping it, or changing the venue (at one point considered setting it in the ruins of a university, but I couldn't mak ...

See also:

The Deconstruction of Falling Stars, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - Plot synopsis, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - Arc significance, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - Production details, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - Trivia, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - External link

Read more here: » The Deconstruction of Falling Stars: Encyclopedia II - The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - Trivia

Babylon 5 was one of the first shows to employ Internet marketing to create a buzz among online readers far in advance of the airing of the pilot episode. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski participated in online communities on the GEnie and Compuserve systems before the Internet came together as we now know it. Also during this time, Warner Bros. executive Jim Moloshok created and distributed electronic trading cards to help advertise the series. In 1995, Warner Bros. started the Official Babylon 5 web site which was hosted on the ...

See also:

Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5, Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5 - Internet marketing pioneer, Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5 - Fan influences on Babylon 5

Read more here: » Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5: Encyclopedia II - Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5 - Internet marketing pioneer

In Supreme Power, J. Michael Straczynski's update and revamp of the old Squadron Supreme characters in Marvel's mature line, Marvel MAX, Kyle Richmond is an African American entrepreneur. In the old Squadron Supreme Nighthawk was Caucasian. He follows principles of militant activist Malcolm X. Like his inspiration, Batman, Nighthawk uses a combination of high-tech weaponry, stealth and fighting prowess to overcome his foes. Also like Batman (as depicted by most writers since Frank Miller's seminal The Dark Knight Returns), Nighthawk keeps his distance from and feels som ...

See also:

Nighthawk Supreme Power, Nighthawk Supreme Power - Character information, Nighthawk Supreme Power - Character history, Nighthawk Supreme Power - Supreme Power, Nighthawk Supreme Power - Supreme Power: Nighthawk, Nighthawk Supreme Power - Squadron Supreme

Read more here: » Nighthawk Supreme Power: Encyclopedia II - Nighthawk Supreme Power - Character information

Hyperion is a character in the Marvel Comics series Supreme Power, published under the mature-readers imprint MAX Comics, written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Gary Frank. The series ostensibly chronicles a rebooted version of the Squadron Supreme, with Hyperion serving as a loose version of DC comics' long-standing character Superman. This character is also referred to in the comics industry as Hyperion III, given that this is the third incarnation of the character in Marvel history. < ...

See also:

Hyperion Supreme Power, Hyperion Supreme Power - Character information, Hyperion Supreme Power - Character history, Hyperion Supreme Power - Supreme Power: Hyperion, Hyperion Supreme Power - Plot summary

Read more here: » Hyperion Supreme Power: Encyclopedia II - Hyperion Supreme Power - Character information

Canon fiction - Babylon 5. The canon consists of the television series Babylon 5 and its later TV movies, the TV series Crusade, novels published by Dell and Del Rey/Ballantine, various short stories, and the Babylon 5 comic book published by DC Comics. This was decided by J. Michael Straczynski, who maintained a tight control on the expanded universe to ensure that nearly everything was canonical; going so far as to pen elaborate story-outlines hundreds of pages long for the novels' a ...

See also:

Canon fiction, Canon fiction - Examples of fictional canons, Canon fiction - Babylon 5, Canon fiction - Beauty and the Beast, Canon fiction - DC Universe, Canon fiction - Doctor Who, Canon fiction - Firefly/Serenity, Canon fiction - Harry Potter, Canon fiction - Highlander, Canon fiction - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Canon fiction - James Bond, Canon fiction - Macross, Canon fiction - Marvel Universe, Canon fiction - Mega Man, Canon fiction - Metal Gear, Canon fiction - Middle-earth, Canon fiction - Mortal Kombat, Canon fiction - The Prisoner, Canon fiction - Resident Evil, Canon fiction - Sherlock Holmes, Canon fiction - The Simpsons, Canon fiction - Sonic the Hedgehog, Canon fiction - Stargate, Canon fiction - Star Trek, Canon fiction - Star Wars, Canon fiction - South Park, Canon fiction - Warhammer 40000, Canon fiction - Other factors

Read more here: » Canon fiction: Encyclopedia II - Canon fiction - Examples of fictional canons

The comic was published in August of 1999, monthly at first by Top Cow / Image Comics, and then under the Joe's Comics imprint. Within a few months, however, there were unscheduled artist changes and unexplained delays by Top Cow in shipping the comics - sometimes lasting months. The comic itself came to an unexpected halt after Issue 21 due to internal arguments between Straczynski and Top Cow. Straczynski claimed he was cut out of the loop on the potential Rising Stars movie. After communication broke down between them, he he ...

See also:

Rising Stars, Rising Stars - History, Rising Stars - Story, Rising Stars - Characters, Rising Stars - Collected editions, Rising Stars - Spin-offs, Rising Stars - Rising Stars: Bright, Rising Stars - Rising Stars: Voices Of The Dead

Read more here: » Rising Stars: Encyclopedia II - Rising Stars - History

The plot concerns Jayce, son of Audric, and his quest to rejoin him. The backstory is that Audric was a botanist who did several experiments with plants. One of them blossomed and became Flora. However, not all of them went so well, and another experiment became Saw Boss. He had power over the Monster Minds. He took control of the lab, and transformed it into a fortress. He has psychic powers that among other things give him control over vines, the teleportation of his fortress and clairvoyance. The only thing capable of destroying Saw Boss ...

See also:

Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors - Plot Synopsis, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors - List of Characters, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors - Lightning League Vehicles, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors - Monster Mind Vehicles, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors - Voice Actors

Read more here: » Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors: Encyclopedia II - Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors - Plot Synopsis

Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared media universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the B5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski. The later Del Rey books are considered to be more canonical than some of the earlier Dell ones, although -- per Straczynski's own remarks -- canonical elements exist in every single book published to date; Straczynski's deeper involvement in the novel-publishing program ...

See also:

Babylon 5, Babylon 5 - Concept, Babylon 5 - Cast and primary characters, Babylon 5 - Regular cast, Babylon 5 - Recurring guest characters, Babylon 5 - Babylon stations, Babylon 5 - Ethnicity and language of characters, Babylon 5 - Usage of English, Babylon 5 - Civilizations, Babylon 5 - Themes, Babylon 5 - Authoritarianism vs. chaos; light vs. dark vs. gray, Babylon 5 - War and peace, Babylon 5 - Love and true seekers, Babylon 5 - Fighting the system, Babylon 5 - Addiction, Babylon 5 - The Five Questions, Babylon 5 - Music and scoring, Babylon 5 - The episodes, Babylon 5 - Other made-for-TV movies, Babylon 5 - Spin-offs, Babylon 5 - Crusade, Babylon 5 - Legend of the Rangers, Babylon 5 - The Memory of Shadows, Babylon 5 - Novels novelizations short stories and comic books, Babylon 5 - Novels, Babylon 5 - Novelizations, Babylon 5 - Short Stories, Babylon 5 - Comic Books, Babylon 5 - DVDs, Babylon 5 - Mastering problems, Babylon 5 - Video games, Babylon 5 - Other merchandise, Babylon 5 - Trivia

Read more here: » Babylon 5: Encyclopedia II - Babylon 5 - Novels novelizations short stories and comic books

Winston Groom's price for the screenplay rights to his novel Forrest Gump included a share of the profits; however, due to Hollywood accounting, the film's commercial success was converted into a net loss, and Groom received nothing. As such, he has refused to sell the screenplay rights to the novel's sequel, stating that he cannot in good conscience allow money to be wasted on a failure. Stan Lee filed and won a lawsuit alleging that the producers of the movie Spi ...

See also:

Hollywood accounting, Hollywood accounting - How it works, Hollywood accounting - Examples of Hollywood accounting

Read more here: » Hollywood accounting: Encyclopedia II - Hollywood accounting - Examples of Hollywood accounting

Spider-Man - On-going titles. Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15. After that, he was given his own series. Many followed, and as of 2005, the related titles are: The Amazing Spider-Man #1-441, Vol. 2 #1-58, #500-present (Marvel Comics; March 1963 - November 1998, January 1999 - December 2003, January 2004 - present). Currently written by J. Michael Straczynski, and pencilled by Michael Deodato. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-present (Marvel Com ...

See also:

Spider-Man, Spider-Man - Publication history, Spider-Man - Creation of character, Spider-Man - Spider-Man and the Comics Code, Spider-Man - Character history, Spider-Man - Early life, Spider-Man - Spider bite, Spider-Man - Problems as Spider-man, Spider-Man - Clone Saga, Spider-Man - 21st-century Spider-Man, Spider-Man - Spider-Man: The Other, Spider-Man - Appearance, Spider-Man - Costumes, Spider-Man - Powers abilities and equipment, Spider-Man - Powers and abilities, Spider-Man - Equipment, Spider-Man - Enemies, Spider-Man - Other Spider-Men, Spider-Man - Appearances in other media, Spider-Man - Television, Spider-Man - Film, Spider-Man - Stage, Spider-Man - Video games, Spider-Man - Real life, Spider-Man - Spider-Man in music, Spider-Man - Spider-Man in pop culture, Spider-Man - Bibliography, Spider-Man - On-going titles, Spider-Man - Footnotes

Read more here: » Spider-Man: Encyclopedia II - Spider-Man - Bibliography

Spider-Man - Ongoing titles. Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15. After that, he was given his own series. Many followed, and as of 2005, the related titles are: The Amazing Spider-Man #1–441, Vol. 2 #1–58, #500— (Marvel Comics; March 1963–November 1998, January 1999–December 2003, January 2004—). Currently written by J. Michael Straczynski, and penciled by Michael Deodato. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1— (Marvel Comics; December 2 ...

See also:

Spider-Man, Spider-Man - Publication history, Spider-Man - Creation of character, Spider-Man - Spider-Man and the Comics Code, Spider-Man - Character history, Spider-Man - Early life, Spider-Man - Spider bite, Spider-Man - Problems as Spider-Man, Spider-Man - Love Interests, Spider-Man - Clone Saga, Spider-Man - 21st-century Spider-Man, Spider-Man - Appearance, Spider-Man - Costumes, Spider-Man - Powers abilities and equipment, Spider-Man - Powers and abilities, Spider-Man - Equipment, Spider-Man - Enemies, Spider-Man - Other Spider-Men, Spider-Man - Appearances in other media, Spider-Man - Television, Spider-Man - Cinema, Spider-Man - Stage, Spider-Man - Video games, Spider-Man - Real life, Spider-Man - Spider-Man in music, Spider-Man - Spider-Man in pop culture, Spider-Man - Bibliography, Spider-Man - Ongoing titles, Spider-Man - Footnotes

Read more here: » Spider-Man: Encyclopedia II - Spider-Man - Bibliography

Zima has been the butt of many jokes due to its unusual taste and the perception that the brand intentionally targets underage consumers. Zima has appeared in five Top 10 Lists on Late Show with David Letterman, most recently "Top Ten Signs Bush Is Drinking Again" (6. Appointed Michael Brown head of Zima). It was also the focus of a Saturday Night Live skit in which a married man attempts unsuccessfully to seduce his child's babysit ...

See also:

Zima, Zima - In pop culture, Zima - External link

Read more here: » Zima: Encyclopedia II - Zima - In pop culture