So, some of you may remember my attempt to re-order Season 1 awhile back. I then made an attempt to do some reordering of later seasons. I later looked at my old script books and noticed something -- jms tends to write scripts in the order of the story, with only one or two exceptions, in which case he writes on the script where the episode is supposed to go (i.e. Chrysalis). I then took these dates, and looked through the archives to when other author's scripts came in. I was messing around with the order a bit more, when I noticed this message:
So I thought -- did he actually write this show to be viewed in 5-episode blocks? I worked backwards from the finale, and sure enough, interesting patterns emerge. Every time a "last time on Babylon 5" recap appears -- it's on a Monday episode. In the memos for Season 3, originally War Without End was going to be episode 311 and 312 -- it got moved to 316 and 317 -- exactly 5 days ahead! Then I realized something else -- 5 years gives you 22 weeks of 5 episodes each. The beauty of doing 5 years of 22 episodes now makes even more sense! This does contradict one or two points on my earlier attempt, but I think this order still makes a lot of sense, and most of the character moments work in season one. Working with the script dates, and this idea, I reordered a bit of season one and season two (along with a couple others) and present to you my new order for viewing, divided into each 5-episode block:
Week 1
Midnight on the Firing Line
Soul Hunter
Born to the Purple
Believers
Infection
Week 2
The War Prayer
And the Sky Full of Stars
The Parliament of Dreams
Survivors
Mind War
Week 3
Grail
Deathwalker
By Any Means Necessary
*The Quality of Mercy
Eyes
*The Quality of Mercy script was started before Signs and Portents, and Delenn is gone from the station in this episode and Deathwalker.
Week 4
Signs and Portents
Babylon Squared
Legacies
TKO
A Voice in the Wilderness Part I
Week 5
A Voice in the Wilderness Part II
Chrysalis
Points of Departure
Revelations
The Geometry of Shadows
Week 6
A Distant Star
The Long Dark
Spider in the Web
A Race Through Dark Places
Soul Mates
Week 7
The Coming of Shadows
GROPOS
All Alone in the Night
Acts of Sacrifice
*And Now for a Word
*This one is in script order, and is related to the other episodes of this block.
Week 8
Hunter, Prey
There All the Honor Lies
Knives
*Confessions and Lamentations
*In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
*This is in script order
Week 9
Divided Loyalties
The Long, Twilight Struggle
Comes the Inqusitor
The Fall of Night
Matters of Honor
Week 10
Convictions
A Day in the Strife
Voiecs of Authority
Passing Through Gethsemane
Exogenesis
Week 11
*Dust to Dust
Messages from Earth
Point of No Return
Severed Dreams
Ceremonies of Light and Dark
*I flipped Dust to Dust and Exogenesis because there's a Dust reference in Exogenesis that seems to be a reminder to lead into this episode, and there's a Clark reference in Dust to Dust that seems to fit the theme of the other episodes in this week.
Week 12
A Late Delivery from Avalon
Sic Transit Vir
Ship of Tears
Interludes and Examinations
War Without End, Part One
Week 13
*War Without End, Part Two
*Walkabout
Grey 17 Is Missing
And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
Shadow Dancing
*This is in script order and production order.
Week 14
Z'ha'dum
The Hour of the Wolf
Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
The Summoning
Falling Toward Apotheosis
Week 15
The Long Night
Into the Fire
Epiphanies
The Illusion of Truth
Atonement
Week 16
Racing Mars
Lines of Communication
Conflicts of Interest
Rumors, Bargains and Lies
Moments of Transition
Week 17
No Surrender, No Retreat
The Exercise of Vital Powers
The Face of the Enemy
Intersections in Real Time
Between the Darkness and the Light
Week 18
Endgame
Rising Star
The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
No Compromises
The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari
Week 19
*A View from the Gallery
*The Paragon of Animals
Learning Curve
Strange Relations
Secrets of the Soul
*These two were produced in reverse order of the script dates. I put them in script date order here.
Week 20
In the Kingdom of the Blind
A Tragedy of Telepaths
Phoenix Rising
The Ragged Edge
Day of the Dead
Week 21
The Corps Is Mother, The Corps Is Father
Mediations on the Abyss
Darkness Ascending
And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
Movements of Fire and Shadow
Week 22
The Fall of Centauri Prime
Wheel of Fire
Objects in Motion
Objects at Rest
Sleeping in Light
Yes and no. No particular time slot was conceived of, but I wrote this with an eye to knowing what happens to series in syndication: they end up being stripped daily. So I knew it would end up being seen this way, and that was going to be the preferred way of both watching and writing it. It's when you see it that way that it actually works best, because the threads in the garment are pulled closer together, rather than years apart, and you can see the connections and the patterns more clearly.
Week 1
Midnight on the Firing Line
Soul Hunter
Born to the Purple
Believers
Infection
Week 2
The War Prayer
And the Sky Full of Stars
The Parliament of Dreams
Survivors
Mind War
Week 3
Grail
Deathwalker
By Any Means Necessary
*The Quality of Mercy
Eyes
*The Quality of Mercy script was started before Signs and Portents, and Delenn is gone from the station in this episode and Deathwalker.
Week 4
Signs and Portents
Babylon Squared
Legacies
TKO
A Voice in the Wilderness Part I
Week 5
A Voice in the Wilderness Part II
Chrysalis
Points of Departure
Revelations
The Geometry of Shadows
Week 6
A Distant Star
The Long Dark
Spider in the Web
A Race Through Dark Places
Soul Mates
Week 7
The Coming of Shadows
GROPOS
All Alone in the Night
Acts of Sacrifice
*And Now for a Word
*This one is in script order, and is related to the other episodes of this block.
Week 8
Hunter, Prey
There All the Honor Lies
Knives
*Confessions and Lamentations
*In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
*This is in script order
Week 9
Divided Loyalties
The Long, Twilight Struggle
Comes the Inqusitor
The Fall of Night
Matters of Honor
Week 10
Convictions
A Day in the Strife
Voiecs of Authority
Passing Through Gethsemane
Exogenesis
Week 11
*Dust to Dust
Messages from Earth
Point of No Return
Severed Dreams
Ceremonies of Light and Dark
*I flipped Dust to Dust and Exogenesis because there's a Dust reference in Exogenesis that seems to be a reminder to lead into this episode, and there's a Clark reference in Dust to Dust that seems to fit the theme of the other episodes in this week.
Week 12
A Late Delivery from Avalon
Sic Transit Vir
Ship of Tears
Interludes and Examinations
War Without End, Part One
Week 13
*War Without End, Part Two
*Walkabout
Grey 17 Is Missing
And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
Shadow Dancing
*This is in script order and production order.
Week 14
Z'ha'dum
The Hour of the Wolf
Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
The Summoning
Falling Toward Apotheosis
Week 15
The Long Night
Into the Fire
Epiphanies
The Illusion of Truth
Atonement
Week 16
Racing Mars
Lines of Communication
Conflicts of Interest
Rumors, Bargains and Lies
Moments of Transition
Week 17
No Surrender, No Retreat
The Exercise of Vital Powers
The Face of the Enemy
Intersections in Real Time
Between the Darkness and the Light
Week 18
Endgame
Rising Star
The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
No Compromises
The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari
Week 19
*A View from the Gallery
*The Paragon of Animals
Learning Curve
Strange Relations
Secrets of the Soul
*These two were produced in reverse order of the script dates. I put them in script date order here.
Week 20
In the Kingdom of the Blind
A Tragedy of Telepaths
Phoenix Rising
The Ragged Edge
Day of the Dead
Week 21
The Corps Is Mother, The Corps Is Father
Mediations on the Abyss
Darkness Ascending
And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
Movements of Fire and Shadow
Week 22
The Fall of Centauri Prime
Wheel of Fire
Objects in Motion
Objects at Rest
Sleeping in Light
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