History Trivia / BabylonFive

** Creator/BryanCranston appears in one episode as a dedicated Ranger captain.

** The reason why the end of season 4 seems so crowded, and the beginning of Season 5 seems mostly composed of filler, is because the show was originally going to be cancelled after four seasons due to the failure of the Creator/{{PTEN}} network. The events of season 4 (originally intended to end with the episode "Intersections in Real Time") were shortened by four episodes, after which the resolution to the Earth Civil War arc (originally meant for the beginning of season 5) was resolved in three super-dense WhamEpisodes followed by the GrandFinale. Then at the last minute the show's fifth season was picked up by cable network TNT -- but now there was almost no material left for the fifth season's first half. A new season 4 finale was hastily shot, (the already-shot GrandFinale "Sleeping in Light" delayed to the series' end) and the eleven-episode hole was filled by the telepath-colony arc (originally meant to be just three episodes), the arc of Londo and G'Kar on Centauri Prime (originally cut from season 4), and standalone filler episodes ranging in quality from the yawner "A View from the Gallery" to NeilGaiman's marvelous "Day Of The Dead".

** The reason Season 4 seemed so crowded, and the reason Season 5 seemed to be mostly composed of filler, is because the studio execs planned to cut the show short. That meant that in order to tie the loose ends up quickly, the Earth Civil War arc, originally meant for Season 5 was shoehorned into Season 4 alongside the Shadow War. After the work was done the decision was reversed and they got their 5th season after all - but had no material for it. The neccesary filler episodes made the season rather uneven, ranging from the yawner "A View from the Gallery", to NeilGaiman's marvelous "Day Of The Dead".
*** Actually, the Earth Civil War arc was meant largely for Season 4. The Shadow War would have ended more or less at the same time, followed by a mini-arc that would've explored the events of "In The Beginning", something that was touched on with the episode "Atonement." The season would've then progressed to the Civil War and ended with Sheridan's capture, so it was really only a difference of four or five episodes.

** [[Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle Bryan]] [[Series/BreakingBad Cranston]] appears in one episode as a dedicated Ranger captain.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), Creator/DavidWarner, Brad Dourif (''Film/ChildsPlay''), Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), William Sanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), DwightSchultz, Paul Winfield (''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''), Richard Moll (''Series/NightCourt''), Creator/HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and June Lockhart (''Series/LostInSpace'', ''Series/{{Lassie}}''). Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (The whole ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise) did a guest appearance as a gesture to reconcile the ''Trek''/''B5'' FandomRivalry.

* AuthorPhobia: JMS has said that Londo's dream of standing on his homeworld and watching the sky slowly fill with the Shadow's ships was based on one of his own recurring nightmares. He had been curious if other people would find it as terrifying as he did.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), DavidWarner, Brad Dourif (''Film/ChildsPlay''), Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), William Sanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), DwightSchultz, Paul Winfield (''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''), Richard Moll (''Series/NightCourt''), Creator/HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and June Lockhart (''Series/LostInSpace'', ''Series/{{Lassie}}''). Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (The whole ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise) did a guest appearance as a gesture to reconcile the ''Trek''/''B5'' FandomRivalry.

** When the computer is rebooted after a systems shutdown, it comes back online with an obnoxious, stubborn personality voiced by HarlanEllison.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), DavidWarner, Brad Dourif (''Film/ChildsPlay''), Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), William Sanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), DwightSchultz, Paul Winfield (''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''), Richard Moll (''Series/NightCourt''), Creator/HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and June Lockhart (''Series/LostInSpace'', ''Series/{{Lassie}}''). Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (The whole ''StarTrek'' franchise) did a guest appearance as a gesture to reconcile the ''Trek''/''B5'' FandomRivalry.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), DavidWarner, Brad Dourif (''Film/ChildsPlay''), Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), William Sanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), DwightSchultz, Paul Winfield (''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''), Richard Moll (''Series/NightCourt''), Creator/HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and June Lockhart (''Series/LostInSpace'', ''Series/{{Lassie}}''). Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (The whole ''StarTrek'' franchise) did a guess appearance as a gesture to reconcile the ''Trek''/''B5'' FandomRivalry.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), DavidWarner, Brad Dourif (''Film/ChildsPlay''), Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), William Sanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), DwightSchultz, Paul Winfield (''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''), Richard Moll (''Series/NightCourt''), Creator/HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and June Lockhart (''Series/LostInSpace'', ''Series/{{Lassie}}'').

** Primary and recurring cast members included Bruce Boxleitner (''Film/{{Tron}}'', ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing''), Bill Mumy (''Series/LostInSpace''), Stephen Furst (''Film/AnimalHouse''), Jeff Conaway (''Film/{{Grease}}'', ''Series/{{Taxi}}''), and Creator/WalterKoenig.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), DavidWarner, Brad Dourif (''Film/ChildsPlay''), JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), William Sanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), DwightSchultz, Paul Winfield (''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''), Richard Moll (''Series/NightCourt''), Creator/HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and June Lockhart (''Series/LostInSpace'', ''Series/{{Lassie}}'').

** And the ''[[RenamedTropes former]]'' Trope Namer for:
*** InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: Renamed from MidnightOnTheFiringLine
*** MutantDraftBoard: Renamed from TheCorpsIsMother

** David [=McCallum=] (who played Dr. Hendricks in ''Infection'') would go on to [[Series/{{NCIS}} really rock the bow ties and help fight crime.]]

** Mel Winkler, Aku Aku from the ''CrashBandicoot'' series, appears in the episode "And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place".

* HeyItsThatGuy: Primary and recurring cast members included [[{{Tron}} Bruce]] [[Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing Boxleitner]], [[LostInSpace Bill Mumy]], [[AnimalHouse Stephen Furst]], [[{{Grease}} Jeff]] [[{{Taxi}} Conaway]] and [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Walter Koenig]], with guest appearances by [[AnimalHouse Bruce McGill]], [[TheManFromUNCLE David]] [[SapphireAndSteel McCallum]], [[Film/{{Tron}} David Warner]], [[Film/ChildsPlay Brad Dourif]], [[ReAnimator Jeffrey Combs]], [[Film/DawnOfTheDead Ken Foree]], [[TwinPeaks Russ Tamblyn]], [[Film/BladeRunner William Sanderson]], [[Series/TheATeam Dwight Schultz]], [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Paul Winfield]], [[NightCourt Richard Moll]], HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and the legendary June Lockhart, among others. And while Londo was his most visible role, Peter Jurasik is a character actor with over thirty years and 70 roles under his belt; for our purposes it's most interesting that he, like Boxleitner and David Warner, was in ''{{Tron}}'' (as CROM, an accounting program destined for the games grid).

* DidNotDoTheResearch: When Sheridan talks to [[spoiler:the "Inquisitor" AKA Sebastian]] as he's seeing him off, he mentions the date of his last known appearance (Nov. 11, 1888) as the day after the end of a series of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders gruesome murders]]. You can read his lips as he says "West Side" (even the closed captioning reads it as West Side) but it was over-dubbed as "East Side".
** WordOfGod is that he did do the research, and in fact had the relevant information right in front of him as he wrote the scene, and was so angry he could kick himself when he realized the mistake.

* ShoutOut: The show is known to have a few shout outs to ''TheLordOfTheRings'', ''ACanticleForLeibowitz'', GreekMythology and other works of fiction.
** In one episode, a plaintiff in a courtroom is suing one of TheGreys because his ancestor was abducted by the alien's ancestor, a ShoutOut to the modern day abductee phenomenon.
** WordOfGod is that the Canticle reference was not intentional. He had been doing research on monasteries for another project, and so had them in mind when he was writing the episode. It wasn't until later that he realized he'd pretty much done ''ACanticleForLeibowitz'', but he couldn't think of another way to do the scene that worked as well, so he kept it as is.
** Such as a Martian representative named Amanda [[JohnCarterOfMars Carter]] in the episode ''Spider in the Web''. With an ancestor named John, [[{{Anvilicious}} in case you didn't get it]].
** And ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'' by Alfred Bester -- which is about a telepathic cop.
*** Not just a ShoutOut-that was the entire inspiration for the Psy Corps and the death of personality.
*** The Psi Corps was a WholePlotReference of sorts; the true ShoutOut was naming the head psicop Alfred Bester.
** Multiple Shout Outs to George Orwell's ''1984'': Ministry of Peace, rewriting the dictionaries, etc.
** The episode ''Passing Through Gethsemane'' has a Biblical shout out in its title, and a plot based on Creator/HPLovecraft's [[spoiler:''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' -- right down to naming one of the characters Charlie Dexter.]]
** Much of the philosophy spouted by various races is only slightly re-worded from human thinkers. For instance, much of Minbari philosophy is a reworking of things CarlSagan said. His "Star Stuff" speech from the ''Cosmos'' special is repeated almost verbatim by Delenn in the pilot. Given that modern Minbari philosophy and religion was essentially created ''en masse'' by [[spoiler:a time-traveling Sinclair in his guise as Valen, it may be that Sinclair directly cribbed from Sagan]].
** The greatest ShoutOut in the series finale: [[spoiler: And now, for [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes those of you who have been archiving]] this [[ShowWithinAShow ISN Special Documentary]], the people responsible...]]
** In the otherwise forgettable episode ''Infection'', a character trying to get Franklin's attention mentions that there's a [[WarOfTheWorlds Martian death machine parked outside the station, and they'd like to have a word with him about the common cold.]]
** JMS was very touchy on the subject of {{ShoutOut}}s. He stated that freelance writers got carried away with them in the first season, and he put a halt on them after that. He also claimed that much of what fans called shout outs were either unintentional, non-existent, or a result of both parties having drawn from the same, far older, sources. There was one particular instance in Usenet where he went off on a long rant about this after someone asked if he was referencing ReturnToZork in an episode.
*** In his defense, the supposed ShoutOut was quite obscure (a pretty generic piece of dialogue that you could imagine showing up anywhere). When JMS did reference a work or author he was fond of, he usually wouldn't shy away from it. He liked it when fans spot the genuine deals, but when they started grasping for straws he got annoyed.
** Draal in "The Long, Twilight Struggle" plays up a very Oz-like attitude, right up to proclaiming "great and terrible".
** [[spoiler:President Clark's final actions are a mirror of Hitler's final plans right down to the Scorched Earth decree. Of course, Hitler issued his decree to generals and factory managers who immediately ignored it, Clark issued his to automated orbital death rays that had to be taken out by the attack fleet. Then he shoots himself before he can be humiliated by his enemies in public.]]
** The last thing Bester does at the end of his first appearance in "Mind War" is turn to Commander Sinclair, [[Series/ThePrisoner hook his forefinger and thumb into a circle, raise his hand to his forehead in a salute, and say, "Be seeing you."]]
** In "The Face of the Enemy", when William Edgars tells Garibaldi that by betraying Sheridan he has brought him closer to the truth. Garibaldi responds by saying "The last guy got [[Literature/TheBible thirty pieces of silver for the same job.]]"
** Vir's conversation with the technomage in "The Geometry of Shadows" includes two: The technomage's name is [[TheElricSaga Elric]], and he quotes "an old saying" about not trying the patience of wizards that originates in ''TheLordOfTheRings''.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: When Sheridan talks to [[spoiler:the "Inquisitor" AKA Sebastian]] as he's seeing him off, he mentions the date of his last known appearance (Nov. 11, 1888) as the day after the end of a series of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders gruesome murders]]. You can read his lips as he says "West Side" (even the closed captioning reads it as West Side) but it was over-dubbed as "East Side".

* HeyItsThatGuy: Primary and recurring cast members included [[{{Tron}} Bruce]] [[Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing Boxleitner]], [[LostInSpace Bill Mumy]], [[AnimalHouse Stephen Furst]], [[{{Grease}} Jeff]] [[{{Taxi}} Conaway]] and [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Walter Koenig]], with guest appearances by [[AnimalHouse Bruce McGill]], [[TheManFromUNCLE David]] [[SapphireAndSteel McCallum]], [[Film/{{Tron}} David Warner]], [[Film/ChildsPlay Brad Dourif]], [[ReAnimator Jeffrey Combs]], [[Film/DawnOfTheDead Ken Foree]], [[TwinPeaks Russ Tamblyn]], [[Film/BladeRunner William Sanderson]], [[Series/TheATeam Dwight Schultz]], [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Paul Winfield]], [[NightCourt Richard Moll]], HarlanEllison (as a Psi Cop), and the legendary June Lockhart, among others. And while Londo was his most visible role, Peter Jurasik is a character actor with over thirty years and 70 roles under his belt; for our purposes it's most interesting that he, like Boxleitner and David Warner, was in ''{{Tron}}'' (as CROM, an accounting program destined for the games grid).
* HeyItsThatVoice: Numerous examples.
** Byron the telepath is also the Medic from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', among many others.
** When the computer is rebooted after a systems shutdown, it comes back online with an obnoxious, stubborn personality voiced by HarlanEllison.
** Ellison also provided the voice for Zooty's talking prop when comedians Rebo and Zooty visited the station.
** Ardwright Chamberlain -- Nicolai of ''ShadowHearts: Covenant'' -- is Kosh.
** Mel Winkler, Aku Aku from the ''CrashBandicoot'' series, appears in the episode "And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place".
** In the 2002 TV movie ''Legend Of The Rangers'', Sarah Cantrell is played by Myriam Sirois -- better known to a generation of North American anime fans as the voice of Akane Tendo from the English dub of ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]''.

*** Not just a ShoutOut-that was the entire inspiration for the Psy Corps and the death of personality.

** The episode ''Passing Through Gethsemane'' has a Biblical shout out in its title, and a plot based on HPLovecraft's [[spoiler:''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' -- right down to naming one of the characters Charlie Dexter.]]

*** In his defense, the supposed {{ShoutOut}} was quite obscure (a pretty generic piece of dialogue that you could imagine showing up anywhere). When JMS did reference a work or author he was fond of, he usually wouldn't shy away from it. He liked it when fans spot the genuine deals, but when they started grasping for straws he got annoyed.

** The last thing Bester does at the end of his first appearance in "Mind War" is turn to Commander Sinclair, [[ThePrisoner hook his forefinger and thumb into a circle, raise his hand to his forehead in a salute, and say, "Be seeing you."]]

* Back when nearly all of the World Wide Web could be linked to on one page, it seemed that most web sites had some sort of sci-fi series tribute somewhere. ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' was a particularly popular choice for enshrinement (it was on at the time, see?). B5 has one up on it, though: the NCSA Mosaic ''browser'' had a semi-secret page (about:b5) where the developers expressed their love for the series and provided a few links to fan sites in case you wanted to learn more.