It’s all happening, my Babylon 5 buds. Months after series creator J. Michael Straczynski announced a big B5 project on the horizon, the reality is here in the form of a trailer for the animated film Babylon 5: The Road Home. For the first time in far too long, we have a whole two minutes of new footage that takes us back to the storied space station and lets us glimpse many beloved faces. The animated film picks up where the cult classic science fiction show left off in 1998 (though thankfully we appear to be pre-series finale “Sleeping in Light,” because I can’t think about “Sleeping in Light” without crying). If you’re a B5 fan, you’re going to be feeling some feelings at the sight and sound of the characters who populate the trailer. If you’re just joining us on this adventure through space and time, welcome.
The official synopsis from Warner Bros. reads: “Return to BABYLON 5 as the epic interstellar saga continues with THE ROAD HOME. Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe.”
Yes, it’s true—John Sheridan has become unstuck in time (again), and that’s sending him down a rabbit hole of endless plot possibilities. While in all honestly I’m a little exhausted from our superhero shenanigans regarding multiverses, time travel, and the like, if there’s anyone I trust to do this sort of story well it’s Straczynski and his B5 team.
The Zathras in the room when discussing any kind of new Babylon 5 content is the tragic loss of so many original cast members in the intervening years. That’s likely why an animated project made the most sense to put these characters back onscreen. It’s heartening to see the involvement of the primary cast who remain with us: Sheridan will be voiced by Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian is back as Susan Ivanova, Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander, Tracy Scoggins as Elizabeth Lochley, Bill Mumy as Lennier, and my perennial fave Peter Jurasik as the incomparable Londo Mollari. Per IMDb, new voice actors will be voicing Delenn, G’Kar, Sinclair, Dr. Franklin, Garibaldi, Zathras, and others. It’s impossible to imagine that this wasn’t done with the utmost care considering Straczynski’s lifelong investment in the B5 project and his fierce advocacy of its legacy; he’s the writer on The Road Home, while Matt Peters directs. Of course, Mira Furlan, Andreas Katsoulas, Michael O’Hare, Richard Biggs, Jerry Doyle, Tim Choate, and Stephen Furst (Vir) are irreplaceable—what we’ll be viewing is, I hope, a loving tribute to their work. Seeing Delenn and G’Kar embodied again in a new story onscreen made me blink several times in quick succession because there was something in my eye.
As for when you can actually inject the whole film into your eyeballs, we now have answers. The movie will be available via Digital, 4K UHD and Blu-ray on August 15, 2023. What’re your thoughts on Babylon 5: The Road Home? Will you be journeying that way with us? Maybe staying for a drink?
(images: Warner Bros. Entertainment)
