The
Babylon 5 Station
by J. Michael Straczynski during series one
of the show
Babylon 5 is a space station in neutral space more or less
central to all five of the different alliances, human or alien. To get to
one or the other, you have to pass through this sector of space. Thus, Babylon
5 has been created as a sort of port-of-call for travellers, statesmen, emissaries,
traders, refugees and other, less savoury characters.
Five miles long, Babylon 5 is divided into separate, discrete sections
that rotate at differing speeds to provide different gravities to accommodate
those who come to the station.
As for locations inside B-5...we've designed a number of very different
looks and locations to give it a non-claustrophobic feel. By virtue of being
patterned physically after the work of such scientists as Gerard K. O'Neill,
the absolute centre of the elongated station (which revolves to provide gravity)
is a sort of hollow-world look, with fields and hydroponic gardens along the
360-degree circular section (which is about a half-mile, or a mile across)...and
as you get closer to the absolute centre, where a transport tube cuts from
one end of the station to the other, naturally you get less and less gravity
until you can literally hang suspended. This area is known as the Garden.
Some sections of the station, called the Downbelow, are inhabited by
Babylon 5's equivalent of the homeless, called Lurkers. Most of them are people
who came to the station looking for work; they didn't find any, and can't
afford passage off station. No government is willing to pay to ship them home
(and in some cases, they wouldn't even be allowed home) so they languish
on the station. The Downbelow is a centre of criminal activity on B5, though
by no means is crime confined to that area.
Finally, on sets and the "look" of the place...again, there
will be a mix. Parts of the station are still under construction, and parts
are finished. Some sections are in daylight, some in night, alternating by
level and sector. On the very outer ring, the view ports are in panels ON
THE FLOOR, so you're looking down and out into space, revolving beneath your
feet. Some places will be beautifully finished and neat, and other areas will
be very rough and in-the-works. (Remember, B5 only recently went operational,
and thus there are still some parts being constructed.)
In talking with our production designer, John Iacovelli, the one term
he kept using, over and over, was "travelogue." We should get a
real sense in this show of a world turned inside out...with varying textures,
lighting, angles, and a mix of looks. There will not be a
homogeneous look to this place, if Iacovelli or I have anything to say about
it. You can walk from the carefully and neatly appointed Council Chamber room,
to the high- tech control room, to a section of the station under construction
and exposing beams and wires, to the dark and noire-looking nightclub, to
the Garden, to....
You get the idea.