“It was the dawn of the third age of mankind…”
2023 is turning out to be a bumper year for fans of Babylon 5.
The 90s show had always had its long-term devotees, and is often credited for being ahead of the curve with its five-year story arc, but merchandise has always been thin on the ground.
2023, however, seems to be a bit of a turning point. While we wait for further news on a proposed remake of the show, series creator J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) recently dropped the surprise announcement of an animated movie. Babylon 5: The Road Home lands in August.
Now, the original series – the pilot movie ‘The Gathering’ plus all 110 episodes – are getting a 21-disc Blu-ray release too.
Babylon 5 – The Complete Series
As ever, this latest piece of Babylon 5 news came to light via the show’s creator JMS:
ATTENTION #BABYLON5 FANS! YOU WANTED IT, YOU ASKED FOR IT, AND IT’S FINALLY HAPPENED! To celebrate B5’s 30th Anniversary, the Complete Babylon 5 series will be released ON BLU-RAY December 5, ’23. Pre-orders can be placed STARTING TODAY via the retailer of your choice. Huzzah! pic.twitter.com/9OfI05I0fa
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) July 18, 2023
While JMS wasn’t directly involved in the release, he has attempted to address some fan questions about it.
He confirms that the set contains the original series pilot movie ‘The Gathering’, but none of the later TV movies or the spin-off series Crusade. He also confirms it’s essentially the same as the 4:3 remaster done for HBO Max but with the greater bitrate of Blu-ray. Unfortunately, it’s not been possible to add commentaries to the episodes.
Regardless, it’s a thill to see the series finally released in high definition for fans to own without the increasing vagaries of streaming platforms.
Babylon 5 The Complete Series is available to pre order now, with a release date of December 5th, 2023.