The Battlestar Glactica – Babylon 5 Connection

By Lisa Fary

Alert Raygunner Hoobajoobah has pointed out that there are glaring similarities between our beloved BSG S4 and our formerly beloved Babylon 5 S5. Ten years ago, B5’s final season took a horrendous downturn as the newly formed Interstellar Alliance struggled to survive in an atmosphere of political intrigue which was just not interesting and the galaxy’s telepaths acted all secretive and fought amongst themselves (hmmmm. . . . sounds like the same problem as the Star Wars prequels. . . ). Currently, BSG’s final season has taken a downturn as their remaining air time is squandered on religious awakenings and true love.

Let’s explore. . .

Baltar and Byron

Baltar, leader of a rogue religious movement, has a culty love nest in an out of the way part of Galactica where he holds mass and gets all kinds of tang. There appears to be little privacy, so inhibited nyphettes need not come around.

Byron, leader of a rogue psi movement, has a culty love nest in B5’s brown sector where he has steamy relations with Lyta Alexander. There is little mental privacy (they’re all telepaths), and Lyta mentally broadcasts everything during said relations.

It should be noted that Baltar and Byron both have exceedingly greasy hair.

The Cylons and The Psis

The Cylons have wound up in a civil war and the rebel leader, Natalie, is killed by another Cylon.

The B5 Psis have wound up in a civil war and the rebel leader, Byron, is killed by another psi.

The Presidents

Former starship commander Lee Adama reluctantly becomes the president. Lee doesn’t want to be a leader, but a lawyer wielding a dead cat made him do it.

Former space station commander John Sheridan reluctantly becomes the president. He doesn’t want to be a leader, but the Minbari finally decided he was OK. That’s not as dramatic as a dead cat wielding lawyer, but Sheridan had had quite enough drama in his life at that point.

The Books and Subsequent Cults

While incarcerated on Galactica in S3, Baltar wrote a book of revelations (My Triumphs, My Mistakes) that took the spiritually flexible by storm and generated a cult around him.

While incarcerated on B5 in S3, G’Kar began writing a book of revelations (The Book of G’Kar) which was published in S5. The book took the Narn by storm and a cult formed around him.

However, where Baltar will happily lead his flock and tell them what to believe, G’Kar was frustrated and horrified by his own cult and left public life to explore the galaxy. It should also be noted that Baltar is surrounded by hot babes and G’Kar was surrounded by other Narns. Narns aren’t sexy.

It’s a stretch to say that the themes and ideas presented in BSG S4 were lifted from B5 S5, but the similarities are undeniable. If we push back further into both series, there are even more. For instance, BSG’s Saul Tigh and B5’s Michael Garibaldi are very much alike in their boozing, their overall self-destructive natures, and owing their careers to one guy who still believed in them.

However, despite the crappy majority of the final season, B5 did manage to pull it together for a slam bang finish that makes me tear up a bit just thinking about it. I can still hope that BSG, which I loved for so long, can do the same.

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Lisa Fary is a graduate of the English program at Florida State University and holds an advanced degree in Special Education. Her early exposure to classic Battlestar Galactica in 1979 is largely responsible for her lifelong interest in science fiction and her childhood ambition of being an intergalactic space cowgirl.

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