BRINGING
BABYLON 5
ONLINE

Before social media, a show called Babylon 5 brought fans together through modems, message boards, early fan sites, and late-night online chats. A science-fiction-loving kid from Ames, Iowa, Troy could never have imagined his enthusiasm for the show would eventually carry him to the offices of Warner Bros. and to work on not one, but two of his favorite shows.

Part One

AmeS, iowa

Introduction

Learning Curve

Growing up in Iowa with a Commodore computer, science fiction, and a growing interest in how stories are made.

Walkabout

Dial-up networks open the door to new friends, new opportunities, and That Which Cannot Be Named.

Points of Departure

Mailing lists, newsgroups, and the early days of Babylon 5 fandom.

By Any Means Necessary

JMS extends an invitation to visit the set, and I do everything it takes to get there.

Interlude: All Alone in the Night

One of the first big Babylon 5 conventions almost turns out to be a disaster.

Part TWO

WARNER BROS. ONLINE

Chrysalis

An email from Warner Bros. arrives, and with it a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross over from fan to working on the show.

Moments of Transition

Moving from Iowa to Los Angeles and starting a new beginning at Warner Bros.

A Day in the Strife

An insider’s look at what working on the official website was like as a fan.

Lines of Communication

Warner Bros. launches the official Babylon 5 area on America Online.

Divided Loyalties

More visits to the set, online chats with the cast and crew, and the AOL area comes into its prime.

Interlude: Passing Through Gethsemane

A celebrity chat with Elijah Wood ends in a multiplayer death-match.

Part THREE

GREEN!
PURPLE!

A Very Drazi Christmas

An executive from Warner Bros. asks JMS to write a Valentine’s Day episode for an online promotion tie-in and we produce 360-degree panoramas of the B5 sets.

And All My Dreams Torn Asunder

Elana Kestral faces legal woes, Patricia Tallman visits the office, and a new opportunity presents itself.

And Now For a Word

Quitting my dream job to play Pictionary for a living.

The Illusion of Truth

Now out of a job, I try and get my Screen Actor’s Guild card on my second-favorite show.

Spider in the Web

With finances running low, I return to Warner Bros. asking for my old job back and to update the neglected B5 website.

Part FOUR

The DOT COM BUST

Rumors, Bargains, and Lies

Warner Bros. Online announces a new venture, splitting the division in two.

Interlude: There all the Honor Lies

George Clooney asks if I need anything while Richard Dreyfuss tells me I should use a Mac.

Severed Dreams

America Online buys Warner Bros., Entertaindom is shuttered months after launching, and layoffs hit the company.

Part FIVE

COMING HOME

Strange Relations

Back in Iowa before the events of 9/11, trying to finish my degree, and working for the largest anime and manga retailer in the country. Then B5 calls again.

Phoenix Rising

The 2013 Phoenix Comicon promises to be one of the biggest Babylon 5 gatherings since Wolf 359. I need to be there.

Part SIX

BACK TO WB

War Without End: Part 1

Following Phoenix Comicon, I start to do work with Babylon 5 Books.

War Without End: Part 2

A job offer from an unlikely source offers another chance to rejoin the studio back in Los Angeles where my B5 journey began.

The Road Home

Another merger looms over Warner Bros. as I evaluate the future.

EPILOGUE

Coming back home, finding purpose, and enjoying B5 again.

INDEX

THE BOOK