ABSTRACT

Literary critic John Huntington argues that “a fictional war of the future can alert us to attitudes in the real world of the present.” 1 These future wars served nationalist ends while simultaneously revealing the anxieties over American readiness to meet and even understand the real danger posed by the “enemy.” From January 1994 to November 1998, J. Michael Straczynski wrote and produced Babylon 5, which aired on the Prime Time Entertainment Network and TNT. Babylon 5 was a unique television series because it followed a five-year story arc and imagined how the introduction of powerful women and queer characters might influence future wars. Babylon 5 later developed a cult following and has maintained a loyal fan base due to a continuing presence at science fiction conventions and its availability on DVD. Its broad premise is that after barely escaping a genocidal war with an alien race, the Minbari, the government of Earth created Babylon 5 as a diplomatic space station to settle disputes between civilizations. Babylon 5 follows the efforts by the command staff to protect Earth from internal and external threats. It emphasizes that lasting peace and justice are only possible through the sacrifices and heroism of military men and women. Babylon 5 was part of the cultural revival of soldiering and military values that took place in the years following the Persian Gulf War, even as it brought into our living rooms a military that allowed for greater participation by women and sexual minorities.