Babylon 5 Creator Demonstrates His Inner Vision

When I experienced an explosion of awareness in 1978, a whole new world opened up to me. I wondered how unique it was. But I quickly discovered that everyone has access to the same wisdom.

Many people have demonstrated advanced awareness through their good works. We can find examples throughout history in every subject area. People like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Einstein, Buddha, Beethoven and Mozart are among them. But many others have demonstrated profound experiences as well. For instance, two people who “know” they are supposed to be together for a lifetime the moment they meet have seen the future and manifest it in three dimensions.

Those who experience a light flash in their minds obtain wisdom in a brief moment that can last a lifetime. They are connecting to a higher awareness. Many people with strong religious backgrounds interpret a vision as a religious experience. It appears likely that most if not all people have at least one special moment sometime in their lives. But since the messages we receive are filtered through our individual minds and experiences, we all interpret them differently.

In the field of science fiction, Jules Verne was tremendously inspired; some of his futuristic technology now exists. Of more recent vintage, Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas have demonstrated similar inspiration through their Star Trek and Star Wars franchises respectively. Roddenberry stimulated expansive thinking, and Lucas introduced us to the “Force,” which is a fairly accurate description of the vast, unlimited energy that binds and encircles the universe.

I love Star Trek and Star Wars, but by far my most favorite sci-fi series is Babylon 5. Creator and Executive Producer J. Michael Straczynski also wrote most of the shows. It was his vision. He knew the major and minor story arcs before he started, allowing him to create momentum toward his long-term goals. There is a connectedness that isn’t always possible with multiple writers.

That connectedness, enhanced by a philosophy and spirituality that keeps the story on a high moral plane, gives us an uplifting feeling even when the story turns dark. One always feels like those in charge on the space station have a chance to rise above the problems because they represent a part of us that flies higher and sees farther than the rest.

It is well grounded with the realities of humanoid existence, but it has an amazingly high ceiling as well. In the Star Trek universe, humans have overcome their dark side. Straczynski knows that goal probably will never be reached. As a species, we will likely never eliminate killing, greed, theft and all the other negative consequences possible on Earth. Straczynski offers solutions to difficult problems that, while not always perfect, have a reasonable chance of working. And he hints that rising above our present state is always possible.

Straczynski includes a political story arc that is a carbon copy of what the Nazis and fascists did early in the 20th century and what may be about to happen again. It feels realistic, reminding us how destructive our thinking can become if we let fear rule our thoughts. We may assume it can’t happen here, but it certainly can.

In Straczynski’s version, Earth’s vice president conspires to assassinate the president so he can take over. He creates a “Ministry of Truth,” a propaganda arm that permits only its version of the truth to exist. Anyone who disagrees with the state is accused of sedition or treason. Political officers and their heavily controlled media tell only that which supports “ideological purity.” For instance, they falsely claim everyone loves martial law, and there is no longer any crime.

“Night Watch” is a security squad that enforces the new codes and makes lists of all those who object. They and cooperative fellow citizens tattle on their neighbors, making open discussions impossible for those who disagree. All dissent is punished severely. The “bad guys” in this scenario are off-world aliens rather than one or more religious groups.

One of the most chilling examples of abuse is when government-controlled media interview the Babylon 5 crew and then misuse the information to discredit their interviewees. The whole thing is a hatchet job, but since only the government’s media is allowed to report, only one set of facts is shared. Whenever a government begins to discredit media, there’s a chance it has the above as its ultimate goal.

Straczynski grew up reading books by Isaac Asimov, who often wrote about robots getting out of line. He uses telepaths the same way for his series. The telepaths use secretive methods to take control over the government. This can happen when ANY group or branch of government is allowed power without oversight. Whether it is intelligence, military, corporate, financial or some other area of interest, the human ego will take advantage of any lack of regulation. Straczynski understands this dynamic well.

War is a common theme throughout the series, but the folks at Babylon 5 attempt to unite disparate races into a cooperative arrangement beneficial for all concerned. Unifying is a spiritual principle. Straczynski offers an example of how various worlds with their own agendas can still find more that is similar than different with others nearby.

Straczynski is reportedly an atheist, but there are definite spiritual elements throughout. For instance, in the fifth show, all the various alien races represented on the space station are asked to share a bit of their predominant religion. For Earth, he introduces a representative of each of 200 different Earth religions, accepting their right to exist without favoring one over the other. That clearly shows a higher awareness on his part.

Spiritual visions are common when the inner light flashes, and Straczynski certainly writes like someone who had that experience. Science fiction permits its writers to have aliens speak on subjects humans fear to broach. Straczynski uses aliens Delenn (Mira Furlan) and G’Kar (Andreas Katsulas) multiple times to share profound concepts of value to anyone with an open mind. Some of their statements are beautifully moving.

Most if not all Earth religions want theirs to be different and better than all the rest, so they modify their teachings and perspectives to compete for followers. But Dr. Stephen Franklin, played by Richard Biggs on the show, describes his own religion in a way that might be close to what Straczynski learned in his vision:

“I’m a Foundationist, and the idea behind the Foundation is to get back to the roots of all the earth religions, past the doctrines to the core of each belief system to find out what they have in common; and they have a lot more in common than you think. It’s just when politics and money and nationalism get in the way that things get a little messed up.”

Babylon 5 had a relatively small budget and inconsistent viewership; changes in schedule and channel kept away all except the most dedicated. But with the high quality workmanship and acting plus the tremendous inspiration that created it, Babylon 5 stands the test of time. Everyone has access to the same higher level of consciousness, but few get a clearer picture of it than Straczynski.

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