Babylon 5 SF References List

Arrival of the Space Liner Asimov is announced over the tannoy. This liner appears in the episode Believers.

This is obviously a homage to Isaac Asimov, one of the acknowledged masters of the field of written SF.
See Also In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum, Phoenix Rising and The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

"Stephen? Stephen, there's a Martian war machine parked outside. They'd like to have a word with you about the common cold." said by Vance Hendricks to Dr Franklin.

A reference to the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G.Wells. The 1953 movie War of the Worlds contains this ending but the famous Orson Welles radio play did not.

"See you next Wednesday" said by Sinclair.

This is not a reference to John Landis movie trivia:
The line, "See you next Wednesday," was basically an offhand line, slightly but not significantly based in the idea that in most markets, B5 airs on Wednesdays. It was never meant to be a John Landis reference, and if I'd known it was (I'd never heard it before), I would have changed it.
Not all of us in Hollywood have forgotten Vic Morrow.
jms

Psi Cop Bester (played by Walter Koenig).

This is a reference to Alfred Bester, author of The Demolished Man (a book about psis with telepathy) and The Stars My Destination (a book about psis with the power to teleport themselves) [alt. title Tiger, Tiger].

"Be seeing you," said by Bester.

This is a reference to the TV show The Prisoner. Bester also makes the appropriate hand sign - the thumb and forefinger circled, the other fingers slightly bent, making a 6 shape, and saluting with that hand.
The "Be seeing you" is a kind of nod to The Prisoner, yes.
jms
See Also And the Sky Full of Stars, Signs and Portents, A Voice in the Wilderness, and Revelations.

Knight One and Knight Two.

This is just a subtle nod, really. The names of Knight One and Knight Two are never spoken on-screen, merely listed in the credits. The names are reminiscent of The Prisoner, as is the whole interrogation process.
See Also Mind War, Signs and Portents, A Voice in the Wilderness, and Revelations.

"I'm a twenty-three myself, a good number." said by Abbut [to Talia].

Fnord.

The first League spaceship to appear and threaten Babylon 5.

This ship bears a marked resemblance to the Blakes 7 ship The Liberator, although it only has two forward pointing bits instead of three. The general shape and particularly the green bulb at the back are very similar.
See Also Points of Departure.

Garibaldi and Sinclair discuss a request by the Shakespeare Corporation to transport a load of pfingle eggs to Babylon 5.

Pfingle eggs and the Shakespeare Corporation are both references to David Gerrold's work (David wrote this episode and habitually includes references to his own work in later writing). These are both references to the Tracker books: Under the Eye of God and A Covenant of Justice.

"Six to One", said by a Raider on the station when contacting his ship.

Another Prisoner reference to Patrick McGoohan's character (No. 6) whose quest throughout the show was to find out who No. 1 was.
See also Mind War, And the Sky Full of Stars, A Voice in the Wilderness, and Revelations.

Wide-eyed aliens, in court with a man seeking damages following abduction of his great-grandfather.

People claiming to have seen alien visitors to earth have commonly described them with large black eyes, white triangular heads and long thin fingers. These have appeared in a number of SF books. This is not a reference to Whitley Streiber's Communion:
Whitley Streiber. Aliens like that in "Communion" have been shown and drawn a LOT longer than Streiber has been talking about them. No relation.
jms
See Also All Alone in the Night.

Ivanova is reading Working Without a Net by Harlan Ellison in her quarters.

Harlan is a well-known SF author and editor and creative consultant for the show.
The book is Harlan's autobiography, which he plans to write around the year 2000, and yes, that's his photo. (He borrowed the prop when we were finished and casually carried it with him to a few places, just to make people nuts thinking there was a book out they'd missed....)
jms

Gigantic technology.

The scene in which Ivanova and Sinclair cross a chasm filled with technology on a gigantic scale is extremely similar to scenes from the classic 1956 movie Forbidden Planet, which contains equivalent technology seen from a similar viewpoint.
Forbidden Planet...the script called for a chasm. I got three different storyboards from Ron. The best looking was that one, and that's the one we went to, though I knew it would resonate.
jms
See Also The Long Dark.

"EYE AM KNOT A NUMBER AYE AMA FREE MAN" appears on the computer screen when the shuttlecraft initially sent to explore Epsilon III was damaged.

Yet another reference to The Prisoner, where this line is said during the opening credits by Patrick McGoohan (No. 6).
See Also Mind War, And the Sky Full of Stars, Signs and Portents, and Revelations.

A language database which appears on-screen briefly lists sets of words with no apparent connections other than the list:

• ORAK
• SKYNET
• NOMAD
• FORBIN

References to:

Dan Dare: Rogue Planet

Orak was the name of the huge supercomputer which led the Phants.

The Terminator (T2) films

Skynet was the defence computer that became self-aware and tried to wipe out humanity.

Star Trek

Nomad was the eponymous probe which wanted to wipe out biological life.

Colossus: The Forbin Project

Another US Defence computer that tried to take over the world. Similar to Skynet it attempts to control rather than destroy humanity.

"SECURECAM XXIII" appears on the computer screen scanning the Starfury returning from initial contact with Babylon 4.

Not a reference to the TV show Max Headroom.
Securecam is NOT a reference to Max Headroom. It is a word formed out of Security and Camera, which is the function of the ones mounted on the station, as Maintcam goes on the maintenance bots.
jms

The space suit.

The suit worn by Sinclair to protect him during the time journey of Babylon 4 is almost identical to those featured in 2010. In fact, they were the actual suits which were sent by a props warehouse when asked for a space suit. They had to reconstruct a number of these for use in War Without End because the warehouse had since sold them as collector's items.
Yeah, I guess there are some similarities, aren't there?
jms
See Also The Quality of Mercy.

"Babylon Four has come unstuck in Time." said by Major Krantz, commander of Babylon 4.

This is how the character of Billy Pilgrim describes his condition in the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel and film Slaughterhouse Five. It is, in fact, the very first line of the novel, and explains the discontinuity in the storytelling.
See Also War Without End.

Londo takes Lennier to the club The Dark Star.

A reference to the 1974 film Dark Star, a cult spoof SF movie loosely parodying 2001: A Space Odyssey.
See Also Babylon Squared.

"Expect me when you see me." said by G'Kar in a message to Na'Toth.

This is the same phrase as used by Gandalf to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (bibliography and FAQs available).
See Also Revelations, The Geometry of Shadows, The Coming of Shadows, Grey 17 is Missing and Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi?.

Sheridan is called Star Killer by the Minbari.

The Blakes 7 episode Trial features an admiral nicknamed Old Star Killer, but this is not an intentional reference:
This is just a coincidence. Sheridan destroyed the Black Star. Hence, Star Killer.
jms

The Jupiter 2 is listed as being docked at the station.

A reference to Lost in Space, in which the ship is called the Jupiter 2.

"Be seeing you!" said by Jack (Garibaldi's Aide).

This is a reference to the TV show The Prisoner. Jack also makes the appropriate hand sign - the thumb and forefinger circled, the other fingers slightly bent, making a 6 shape, and saluting with that hand.
See Also Mind War, And the Sky Full of Stars, A Voice in the Wilderness, and Signs and Portents.

Z'ha'dum.

First named by G'Kar in this episode, the name of the Shadow's homeworld has a name similar to the dwarves' name for Moria (Khazad'dum) in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (bibliography and FAQs available).
See Also The Geometry of Shadows, Chrysalis, The Coming of Shadows, Grey 17 is Missing and Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi?.

Elric the Technomage.

This is a reference to Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion in a specific incarnation: the albino sorceror Elric of Melnibone.

"It is said `Do not try the patience of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger'" said by Elric the Technomage.

The latter part is a direct quote from a phrase said by Gildor the Elf to Frodo the Hobbit: "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger" in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (bibliography and FAQs available).
See Also Chrysalis, Revelations, The Coming of Shadows, Grey 17 is Missing and Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi?.

Mr Orwell, the "fixer" who get Garibaldi the ingredients of bagna caude.

A reference to George Orwell, an early SF author most noted for 1984 and Animal Farm.
See Also In The Shadow of Z'ha'dum and The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

Monsters from the id.

The Soldier of Darkness, an invisible killer, is made visible by white outlines when shot with an energy weapon. This is a reference to the monster from the id seen in the classic 1956 movie Forbidden Planet.
See Also A Voice in the Wilderness.

The Cruiser Pournelle is the ship that destroyed Abel's ship.

A reference to the SF author Jerry Pournelle, most famous for The Mote in God's Eye, which he co-authored with Larry Niven.

Ms. Carter (from Mars) has an ancestor called John Carter.

A reference to Edgar Rice Burroughs' second most famous character, John Carter of Mars.

Sinclair's Rangers.

This organisation displays a marked similarity to the Rangers led by Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (bibliography and FAQs available).
See Also Chrysalis, Revelations, The Geometry of Shadows, Grey 17 is Missing and Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi?.

Streibs.

These are aliens that abduct members of other races and torture them. Probably a reference to Whitley Streiber, an SF author who has written about such aliens and also claims to have been abducted by them himself. The physical appearance of the Streibs is similar to those described in alien abduction stories, though the ones in Grail are closer.
Streibs, actually. Similar to, but not quite the same as the Grail bunch.
jms
See Also Grail.

Agent Cranston.

"What evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." Lamont Cranston is the real name of one of the earliest superheros, the star first of radio, then of comics and pulp magazines: The Shadow. First broadcast in 1931 as a radio show, there is also a recent film: The Shadow.

"This isn't some kind of Deep Space franchise, this place is ABOUT something." said by Ivanova.

Obviously a sideswipe at Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, and the Star Trek `franchise' in general.
So after I'd read Peter's script, and decided to go with it, he asked about Ivanova's line, "This isn't some kind of Deep Space franchise, this place is ABOUT something."
"Are you really going to use that?" he asked.
"Absolutely," I said. "It's fall-down funny."
"You people really ARE dangerous over there, aren't you?"
jms
See Also Voices of Authority.

Subliminal message: 'The Psi Corps is your friend. Trust the Corps.'

Not a reference to the RPG Paranoia, which has a commonly occurring phrase: 'The Computer is your friend.'
The Psi Corps line in the commercial is not a reference to Paranoia.
jms

The Gaim.

These creatures first appear in the background in this episode. They are later seen as members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, and signatories of the Babylon 5 Defence Treaty. They wear encounter suits whose helmets are extremely similar to the helmet of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and the name also suggests a link.
It's mainly an extrapolation on an alien breather based on WW II style gas masks.
jms.

Minipax.

Newspeak for the Ministry of Peace, from George Orwell's dystopian SF novel about oppressive government, 1984.
See Also A Distant Star and The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

Dr Franklin is a member of a new religion The Foundationists

Probably a reference to Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
See Also The Soul Hunter, Phoenix Rising and The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

"It looks like you're about to `go where everybody has gone before'," said by Ivanova.

A sideswipe at Star Trek: The Next Generation's introductory voice-over which ends with "Where no-one has gone before".
See Also There All The Honor Lies.

Brother Edward was previously called Charlie Dexter.

There is a short story by H.P.Lovecraft called The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, in which the title character fights for his sanity against the spirit of his murderous past life, Joseph Curwen. The parallels are obvious, and JMS is known to be an H.P.Lovecraft fan.

"Unstuck in Time." said by Zathras.

This is how the character of Billy Pilgrim describes his condition in the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel and film Slaughterhouse Five. It is, in fact, the very first line of the novel, and explains the discontinuity in the storytelling.
See Also Babylon Squared.

G'Kar and the Swedish Meatballs.

G'Kar and Na'Kal (captain of the Narn heavy Cruiser) enjoy a meal which Na'Kal thinks is Narn breen (from Homeworld). In fact, it is Swedish Meatballs. G'Kar states that almost every race has such a dish: a great mystery. This is similar to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sequence about Gin and Tonic (Jynnantonix): each race has a drink with this name (suitably differently spelt) but each drink is different.

"I am a Ranger. We walk in the dark places no others will enter. We stand on the bridge and no one may pass. We live for The One. We die for The One." said by Marcus to Neroon.

Shades of Gandalf on the Bridge in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (bibliography and FAQs available).
See Also Chrysalis, Revelations, The Geometry of Shadows, The Coming of Shadows, Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi?.

Lorien

The name of this character is an obvious reference to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (bibliography and FAQs available), in which Lorien is one of the names of the woods ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn.
See Also Chrysalis, Revelations, The Geometry of Shadows, The Coming of Shadows and Grey 17 is Missing.

Marcus comes from Arisia colony.

Arisia is the name of the home planet of the good `superbeings' in the Lensman books by E. E. `Doc' Smith.

An "Asimov", mentioned by Bester.

An "Asimov" is a telepathically implanted conditioned response corresponding to Isaac Asimov's First Law of Robotics:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being come to harm.
with "insert person or group of people" instead of "human" in the above. An acknowledged reference to the work of Isaac Asimov.
See Also The Soul Hunter, In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum and The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

In 2362, the first question is asked by Ray Winston.

Ray and Winston are characters from Ghostbusters. JMS was heavily involved in the cartoon spin-off The Real Ghostbusters.

In 2762, Daniel uses the terms Realfacts and Goodfacts.

This is another reference to George Orwell's 1984.
See also A Distant Star and In The Shadow of Z'ha'dum.

In 2762, Daniel uses the term Psychohistory.

Psychohistory was the science of human behaviour developed by Hari Seldon in Isaac Asimov's Foundation books.
See also The Soul Hunter, In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum and Phoenix Rising

Acknowledgements