History Trivia / BabylonFive

** Guest appearances included: [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), Creator/DavidWarner, Creator/BradDourif, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), and Creator/WilliamSanderson (''Film/BladeRunner'').
** For some crossover ''Trek'' appeal: Creator/WalterKoenig, Creator/JeffreyCombs (as a Psi Cop), Creator/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.

** Ellison also provided the voice for Zooty's talking prop when comedians Rebo and Zooty visited the station.

** Primary and recurring cast members included Andrea Thompson (''Series/{{JAG}}'', ''Series/NYPDBlue''), 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''), Creator/DavidWarner, Creator/BradDourif, Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), Creator/WilliamSanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), Creator/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.

** Ardwright Chamberlain -- Nicolai of ''ShadowHearts: Covenant'' -- is Kosh.

** Apart from he Dukhat-Dukat naming parallel, the two characters share next to nothing else in common, as Dukat turned into an overambitious lackey for the Big Bads, like Londo.

** Lyta's eyes [[BlackEyesOfEvil turn black]] whenever she is using her telepathic powers against the Shadows (or even just to interface with their technology), which requires quite a bit of effort and strain from her. It is worth noting that the black contacts that Patricia Tallman had to wear to get this effect were by all accounts immensely uncomfortable, so the cringing was not all faked.

--->'''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWg7n6AANQ#t=3130 Thomspon]]''': And Joe always said it was about [[GirlOnGirlIsHot embracing his inner teenager]], as well.\\

* LineToGod: JMS was a frequent poster on the {{Usenet}} group rec.arts.tv.scifi.babylon5.moderated during the show's run.

* ThrowItIn: The Centauri hairstyle resulted from an attempted practical joke by Peter Jurrasik about his idea for their hair (turning his wig upside-down), which JMS went along with because he wanted the actors to feel like he valued their input, and by the time the situation became clear [[IWasJustJoking it was too late to go back.]] It did end up working pretty well by making the Centauri visibly different from humans.

* 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.

** Robin Atkin Downes played Byron Gordon in season 5 and Morann, a Manbari, in ''In the Beginning.''

* YouLookFamiliar: Wayne Alexander is a reccurring actor on [=B5=] usually playing characters behind heavy makeup (like Lorien), though he went ''sans fards'' for his best-remembered role: the Inquisitor a.k.a. Sebastian.

* ThrowItIn: The Centauri hairstyle resulted from an attempted practical joke by Peter Jurrasik about his idea for their hair, which JMS went along with because he wanted the actors to feel like he valued their input, and by the time the situation became clear it was too late to go back. It did end up working pretty well by making the Centauri visibly different from humans.
** Averted for the most part. [=JMS=] was very much against ad-libbed lines, since he was careful about how every line was written in order to avoid screwing up the MythArc. In the few cases where it did happen, he had very serious talks with the actor involved (such as when Bill Mumy/Lennier hummed a mantra that turned out to be the title of the album his band made). One notable case where an addition was allowed is in ''The Fall of Night'', the Season 2 finale. The Earth Ambassador tells Ivanova that his pen was a gift from his wife. After mentioning this, he kisses the pen. [=JMS=] states in that episode's commentary that when he asked the actor why he did that, the actor responded "Well, my wife isn't here, so I can't kiss her, so I kiss the pen instead." [=JMS=] then chuckles and says "Ah, actors. Someday they'll all be replaced with CG. I'm kidding. No I'm not. Yes I am."

* EnforcedMethodActing: In ''Severed Dreams'', we see an ISN Newscast get cut short when an explosion rocks the building. Debris can be seen landing on the newsdesk, with the anchors crying out in fear. The debris wasn't ''supposed'' to land that close to the actors, and their reaction to almost having it land on their heads was genuine.

** 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]]''.

** The role of Knight Two in "And the Sky Full of Stars" was originally offered to [[ThePrisoner Patrick McGoohan]] (who couldn't fit it into his filming schedule) and then WalterKoenig (who was too ill to take it). Koenig, of course, was [[HappyEnding later cast as Alfred Bester]].

* CriticalResearchFailure: In the UK's captioning of the show anyway; When Garibaldi heralds an invasion by playing a recording of PorkyPig going "Th-th-th-that's all folks!" the captioning misattributes the quote to WesternAnimation/BugsBunny.

* FakeRussian: American actress Claudia Christian portrays the supposedly born-and-raised Russian Susan Ivanova, but barely gives herself any accent beyond occasionally giving herself a stilted speech pattern in some early episodes. The In-Universe explanation is that she spent most of her life studying abroad [[spoiler: so her mother could prevent the authorities from learning Susan was a telepath.]]

* PropRecycling: In "Babylon Squared", and again in "War Without End", space suits from ''TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact'' were used. They changed their appearance as much as they could, but some people still recognized them, and assumed it was meant as a ShoutOut.

** There are even similarities and parallels between the shows in theme and naming: the Prussian-themed Centauri and the Cardassians, the deeply introspective and ascetic Minbari/Vulcans, the previously-conquered and recently-freed Narns / Bajorans (the Narn are an interesting mix of Klingon warrior cult and Bajoran religious fanatics), the black-suited and jack-booted Psi Corps / Section 31, the meddling and nearly opaque Vorlons / Prophets, and the corrupting ageless demonic Shadows / Pah-Wraiths. Of course, the most blatant parallel is the Minbari Leader Dukhat and the Cardassian leader Dukat. ** Apart from he Dukhat-Dukat naming parallel, the two characters share next to nothing else in common, as Dukat turned into an overambitious lackey for the Big Bads, like Londo.

** There are even similarities and parallels between the shows in theme and naming: the Prussian-themed Centauri and the Cardassians, the deeply introspective and ascetic Minbari/Vulcans, the previously-conquered and recently-freed Narns / Bajorans (the Narn are an interesting mix of Klingon warrior cult and Bajoran religious fanatics), the black-suited and jack-booted Psi Corps / Section 31, the meddling and nearly opaque Vorlons / Prophets, and the corrupting ageless demonic Shadows / Pah-Wraiths. Of course, the most blatant parallel is the Minbari Leader Dukhat and the Cardassian leader Dukat.
*** That said, while both shows share many elements, the way they ''use'' those elements are quite different, and take both shows in very different directions. The best example of that being the Dukhat-Dukat naming parallel, where the two characters share next to nothing else in common.

** There are even similarities and parallels between the shows in theme and naming: the Roman Empire based Centauri and the Romulans, the deeply introspective and ascetic Minbari/Vulcans, the previously conquered and recently freed Narns / Bajorans & Klingons (the Narn are an interesting mix of Klingon warrior cult and Bajoran religious fanatics), the meddling and nearly omniscient Vorlons / Q, and the assimilating tyrannical inhuman Shadows / Borg. Of course, the most blatant parallel is the Minbari Leader Dukhat and the Cardassian leader Dukat.

** Guest appearances included [=Bruce McGill=] (''Film/AnimalHouse''), [=David McCallum=] (''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'', ''Series/SapphireAndSteel''), Creator/DavidWarner, Creator/BradDourif, Creator/JeffreyCombs, Ken Foree (''Film/DawnOfTheDead''), Russ Tamblyn (''TwinPeaks''), Creator/WilliamSanderson (''Film/BladeRunner''), Creator/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.

* CriticalResearchFailure: In the UK's captioning of the show anyway; When Garibaldi heralds an invasion by playing a recording of PorkyPig going "Th-th-th-that's all folks!" the captioning misattributes the quote to BugsBunny.

** Commander Takashima would have been revealed to be housing a Psi-Corps sleeper personality if Tamlyn Tomita had stayed, and it would have been her who shot Garibaldi at the end of season one.

** It was long planned that Creator/HarlanEllison would write an episode, probably to be called "Demon In The Dust/On Run", as a sequel to his 1964 ''[[Series/TheOuterLimits Outer Limits]]'' episode "Demon With A Glass Hand". Unfortunately the episode never materialized

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The role of Knight Two in "And the Sky Full of Stars" was originally offered to [[ThePrisoner Patrick McGoohan]] (who couldn't fit it into his filming schedule) and then WalterKoenig (who was too ill to take it). Koenig, of course, was [[HappyEnding later cast as Alfred Bester]].