CNN Documents Babylon 5
2024 Streaming 4K Edition with
17 "Super Rare" Bonuses
The original CNN Documents Babylon 5 three-DVD package has been out of print for 10 years. It contained:
Disc 1: On-set interviews with cast and crew (with optional on-screen footnotes).
Disc 2: On-set footage while scenes were actually being filmed. (Plus optional audio tour with Jason Davis.)
Disc 3: Picture-in-picture commentary with Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian while watching discs 1 and 2.
This new 2024 Edition includes all of the above but at a resolution of 4K (instead of 720p) which brings out the detail in the sets, the costumes, the makeup and more with its sharpness and vivid color. There’s also the 17 Bonus Bundles that add more than 2 hours of additional content.
Unlimited,
Lifetime,
Streaming,
Worldwide,
1 Payment.
$49
Return Policy
90 days
100% refund
Includes all digital products
CORE CONTENT:
2024 STREAMING EDITION
RE-DIGITIZED TO 4K
Part 1: BEHIND THE SCENES
Two viewing experiences: with and without audio commentary from B5 expert Jason Davis (samples below).
Part 2: INTERVIEW WITH THE CAST
Two experiences: with and without video footnotes for deeper context.
Part 3: TWENTY YEARS LATER
Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian react to footage of this CNN series.
STREAMING EXCLUSIVES:
17 FREE BONUS BUNDLES
16 Bundles of mostly-never-seen Promos, Bumpers & Featurettes while the show was airing in its first run (~60 minutes). See Sneak Peek video & detailed PDF below.
These bundles clips are re-digitized from VHS tapes. Pre-digitized the quality was “vintage” but now it is significantly upgraded. (See the trailer below.)
Watching these 16 bundles in 4K won’t be a true 4K experience, but it will give you the most detail possible.
BUNDLE #17: “The Art of Babylon 5” 2014 Comic-Con Panel with the B5 Art Department re-digitized to 4K which makes the art they feature much clearer (~50 minutes).
ABOUT THE 16 FREE BUNDLES OF RARE CLIPS + "The Art of Babylon 5" Panel (Bundle 17)
We’ve compiled a 6-page PDF “GUIDE TO THE 17 BUNDLES” which details every bumper, featurette and promo. See below.
NOTE: These bumpers, promos and featurettes were not on any of the series DVDs as extras. All but a few of these are exclusive, and the few on YouTube are low quality.
Below is a 6-page PDF detailing the content of each of the bundles, including why each was chosen. On Vimeo, you will also find this information in the description box under each video.
Part 1 – THE INTERVIEWS
Uncut interviews with cast members while the series was in production for seasons one, two and five. It’s like you are sitting beside the CNN interviewer.
The un-edited banter between CNN and the actors shows a side of their off-camera personalities rarely glimpsed and their excitement about being interviewed by CNN which was a big deal in the mid-90s.
VIDEO FOOTNOTES
These optional on-screen annotations by Jason Davis — editor of 48+ volumes for B5Books plus the Babylon 5 Encyclopedia — let you fully appreciate what is being said or shown… just as Jason does with the annotations in our books.
Part 2 – ON THE SET
Uncensored on-set footage from the production of four episodes, featuring take after take of filming and the bustle of the set between shots. We marvel at how it really feels like you are hanging out on the set with the cast and crew.
Two viewing experiences: ambient sound and the audio tour. See suggested viewing order at the bottom of this page.
Part 3 – JERRY “GARIBALDI” DOYLE AND CLAUDIA “IVANOVA” CHRISTIAN
Not just an audio track, this is a video commentary featuring the actors AND the material they’re commenting on via picture-in-picture video.
Return Policy: 90 days / 100% refund
HIGHLIGHTS
- Bruce Boxleitner explaining why he kept forgetting his lines when first acting opposite Andreas Katsulas.
- What Babylon 5 decision took 178 executives to approve.
- Why Claudia Christian was so disappointed by a recent #1 movie.
- Jerry Doyle quoting a Superman character.
- Discovering which Babylon 5 character was promoted during a scene that was later deleted.
- Claudia Christian reading the labels printed on the buttons of Ivanova’s C&C console.
- What will you see that you’ve never seen before? The process of filming Babylon 5. Take after take, wardrobe fixes, technical issues, directors calling “action”…it’s all here.
- CNN put its camera behind the film crew’s, affording a big picture of the crew shooting the show (and we show you what made it into the episode).
- Witness how the door to the Observation Dome really opens.
- Hear why a scene in Earhart’s takes eight separate shots from six different angles.
- See how eleven minutes of printed footage from an entire afternoon’s filming nets only one minute of what you see in “A Distant Star.”
- Why would the actors — as a group — stare at a piece of red tape?
- What could you do on the Babylon 5 set in 1994 that would be illegal in 2016?
- Hear the unfilmed ad lib Michael O’Hare uttered after Ivanova told Sinclair about the young telepath she and Talia Winters discovered in the Zocalo.
- Revealed: A brief scene that didn’t make the final cut of “Objects at Rest.”
- Discover which set had happy faces painted on the walls you couldn’t see.
- What do actors sign in lieu of yearbooks when the season ends? (Hint: It’s NOT their scripts.)
- What set was sitting just outside the entrance to Commander Sinclair’s office? (You’ll never believe this!)
- See how Londo Mollari’s quarters look when the set is not being used.
- Hear Bruce Boxleitner’s “Ronald Reagan” impression.
- Find out how the electrical crew creates a twinkle in an actor’s eyes.
- See how the extras in a crowded scene are directed to look “natural.”
- See Stephen Furst’s final scene shot on Babylon 5. You’ve NEVER seen this before; it was cut from the episode.
- Discover what Jerry Doyle joked about with the CNN interviewer in season one that actually occurred on-screen in season five.
SUGGESTED VIEWING ORDER
Encounter #1: Behind the Scenes Audio Tour with Jason Davis
Full details of exactly what is happening on the set. Watching this video first will get you up to speed on everything you would want to know when you watch it with only the ambient sound.
Encounter #2: Behind the Scenes – Ambient Sound
Now you are actually on the set with the cast and crew, but with an understanding of what is going on and an ability to focus on the details.
Encounter #3: Complete Interviews
Most fans watch without the video footnotes first to focus on the actors telling their stories.
Encounter #4: Complete Interviews with Video Footnotes
When fans re-watch with the footnotes, they say it’s like a fresh viewing because of the extra context.
Encounter #5: 20 Years Later – A picture-in-picture look back with Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian
Definitely save this for last because you’ll want all the information from the previous videos before you sit in the studio with Jerry and Claudia as they comment on what you just watched. So meta!
• No app required. Connect via any browser.
• Choose any streaming quality from low bandwidth 360p to 4K, the highest quality possible.
• Works on all mobile & desktop platforms (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)
• Watch on your tablet or phone or cast to any AppleTV, Chromecast or (most) Smart TVs.
• They are an international, streaming service
• If you have any issues email us at help@b5books.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WILL YOU EVER RELEASE THE DVDs AGAIN
No. They went out of print 10 years ago and streaming is by far the best experience.
WHAT DOES “LICENSED” FROM CNN MEAN?
B5Books owns the rights to this material, and it won’t appear anywhere else.
ARE THERE SUBTITLES/CAPTIONS?
Yes. It has English auto-captions that are quite accurate.
WHY VIMEO?
Longevity and quality. Vimeo launched before YouTube, around 20 years ago. We’ve found their streams to be quality, skip-free and buffer-free.
WHAT IF I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION?
Email us at help@b5books.com. We answer all email personally.
TWO EDITIONS AVAILABLE
CNN DOCUMENTS BABYLON 5 Stream, Download & Share
$69
Best option if you:
- Want to download a permanent back-up of all the content being streamed.
- Want to download to watch offline, especially helpful with mobile devices (it’s 7 hours total)
- Want to share your login with family & friends
Unlimited Downloading
Free “family & friends” login sharing
Unlimited Streaming
(up to 4K)
Lifetime Access Hosted by Vimeo with no app required
16 Bundles of Rare Clips:
Promos, bumpers and featurettes
most fans have never seen.
Bundle 17:
Art Directors Guild Panel with
the Babylon 5 Art Department
CNN DOCUMENTS BABYLON 5 Streaming Only
$49
Best option if you:
- Don’t watch offline.
- Watch on Wi-Fi or have unlimited data.
- Won’t be sharing your login with family & friends.
Unlimited Downloading
Free “family & friends” login sharing
Unlimited Streaming
(up to 4K)
Lifetime Access Hosted by Vimeo no app required
16 Bundles of Rare Clips:
Promos, bumpers and featurettes
most fans have never seen.
Bundle 17:
Art Directors Guild Panel with
the Babylon 5 Art Department
