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Product Description
Book Description
Now in its fifth hit season, Babylon 5--TV's hottest interstellar science fiction phenomenon--has spawned its own series of definitive episode guides! Catch up on all the action, show by show, from the very beginning with the Babylon 5: Season by Season guidebooks.
Babylon 5: Point of No Return begins with a fascinating look at another innovation for the already groundbreaking series--its pioneering use of computer generated special effects. Jane Killick's behind-the-scenes chronicle reveals how effects master Ron Thornton and his Foundation Imaging team made B5 the first TV show to create all of its breathtaking special effects exclusively through computer graphics, from spaceships and planets to galactic battles.
In addition, Babylon 5's third season guide presents a thrilling summation of the series major turning point: the chain of events that would culminate in the devastating Shadow War. And of course, episode-by-episode summaries--with Killick's comprehensive analysis--cover all of the third season's twenty-two shows, including "Matters of Honor," "Point of No Return," "Ship of Tears," and the stunning finale, "Z'ha'dum."
Veteran viewers or first-time fans, relive the adventure--or find out what you've been missing--with the complete companions to Babylon 5!
From the Publisher
All well and good, but I'd been stung before. Initially, I was skeptical. It wasn't until I visited the Babylon 5 studios, met with series creator J.Michael Straczynski, watched the actors at work, that I saw the creative spirit that drove them. The hours they put in are painful to watch. I'm pretty sure Straczynski doesn't actually sleep--he wrote the lion's share of the episodes, including two that won Hugo Awards.
So I was convinced. Now we've got four million hard-core viewers to convert. At least we know the target audience.
--Steve Saffel, Senior Editor
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Guide to a Great Series,
By
This review is from: Babylon 5: Point of No Return (Paperback)
Babylon 5 was unique in television. The main plot for the entire series was mapped out before the show even started. As a result, it developed a loyal fan base that still loves it.This book is the third in a series of five episode guides to the series. Covering the third season, it has a separate chapter for each of the twenty-two episodes. Each starts with a plot summary, but then goes into behind the scenes stories and commentaries. Through interviews with cast, crew, and creator J. Michael Straczynski, author Jane Killick is able to give a full picture of what went into each episode. Some of my favorite parts are the stories of bloopers or jokes the cast played on each other. I also find the summaries useful if I'm looking for a particular episode to rewatch. Starting out the book are two essays. The first provides insight into creating the special effects for the show. While the majority of the time is spent on describing the computer graphics used (something unheard of when the series started), there is also some insight into the traditional effects and the make-up used to create the aliens. The second in an introduction to the third season, painting broad strokes of the story arcs introduced and developed over the course of the season. Any fan will love to have this well researched book for a behind the scenes look at a wonderful piece of science fiction television history.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great book series, but if you are new to the show...,
By 4 a.m. Reader (Southwest US) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Babylon 5: Point of No Return (Paperback)
This is a really good book series for B5 fans. It makes a great companion & fun reading after you have watched each show. But I would recommend it mainly for those that have seen the series & are watching it again. The reason I say that is because it is laced with spoilers all throughout the commentaries. That's fine if you've seen the whole thing already, but it stinks if you are watching it for the first time. If you don't mind that sort of thing...go for it, but this is the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. For a good "non-spoiler" companion guide, I highly recommend The Babylon File: The Definitive Unauthorized Guide to J. Michael Straczynski's TV Series Babylon 5 by Andy Lane (Versions 1 & 2). He shows no mercy sometimes. If he does or doesn't like the show, he let's you know. But it's a blast to read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enlightening and fun,
By Arja Hyyrylainen (Finland, Helsinki) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Babylon 5: Point of No Return (Paperback)
The book starts with a description of the long road of "selling" B5 to various tv execs seeking partners and funding. Boring? On contrary it offers a rare look behind the curtains and helps to understand why it's so hard to get funding for a truly artistically ambitious tv show like Bab 5, or why most tv drama lacks that ambition. It also gives the readers an idea of how dedicated JMS, Copeland and Netter were to getting this show on air against all odds. The overall wiew on the first season On the other hand can be a bore to those who have already studied the episodes site on the net, although more compact and a must to understanding the continuing story lines that would make Macchiavelli jealous, layers on layers, from scale of individuals to institutions, worlds and the universe. For those new to this complexity and richness it makes the book easier to follow episode by episode.The episode guide includes a two-page synopsis followed by 4-5 pages of comments from JMS, directors and actors, episode by episode including the pilot of the series, "the Gathering". If these comments would constitute a bigger part of the book instead of about 100 pages, with even more detail and humour the book would be a fiver, but as people were interwiewed years after the first season these kind of things tend to give way for more professional-orientated memories. Still by no means dry or "basic" even for the most educated fans, this book is worth it's price, and more when combined with the series on video, allowing to see the episodes in a new light.
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