Day of the Dead: A Babylon 5 Scriptbook

Babylon 5: Episode Novelizations and Scriptbooks

by Neil Gaiman, J. Michael Straczynski (Introduction)

Original script for the Babylon 5 episode. Contains scenes not actually filmed and some which were filmed but cut. Introduction by J. Michael Straczynski. Trade paperback with John Berkey color cover.

Genres: Science Fiction, Babylon 5, Fantasy, Fiction, Plays, Tv, Ebooks

56 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow!
I have seen a couple of episodes of Babylon 5 but I had no idea that this particular episode (which to this day I love best) was written by Neil Gaiman!
Basically, when you read the introduction to this script, all that needs to be said is said. Neil Gaiman is magic. Not only can he juggle with words - he doesn't even need many of them to convey a very profound message.
Exhibit A.
Enjoy.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve got no idea how this will translate to an audience who’ve forgotten or never knew Babylon 5, but I found it delightful! It’s the one where Captain Lochley signs over ownership of “Babylon 5” to the Brakiri for their Day of the Dead, a night that only comes once every 180 years. Garibaldi, Lochley, Londo and Lennier are visited. I bought this at a used book and comic store in Halifax, Nova Scotia & had it autographed when Gaiman came to town to talk about The House at the End of the Lane.

[Melissa Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.75

I love reading scripts so this was a fun time!

[Randy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, I am not a Babylon 5 fan, but this script seemed thin.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3801565.html

Script for an episode of Babylon 5, a show that I never really watched. Death and the afterlife are recurrent preoccupations of Gaiman's, most obviously in The Graveyard Book and the portrayals of Death and Hell in Sandman, but always present in the background. It takes some chutzpah however to make a Halloween episode of a relatively hard sf show like Babylon 5, and I think it more or less succeeds on those terms, certainly better than when Doctor Who tried the same. Without knowing much about any of the regular characters, you can still appreciate the different emotional reactions that they have when confronted with dead loved ones, each of whom has a story to tell - I think I was most grabbed by the dynamic between Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scroggins) and her reesurrected friend - possibly lover - Zoe (Bridget Flanery), perhaps because it was less rooted in the continuity.

I didn't really get how the comedy of the two magicians fitted in - it seemed a rather awkward celebrity cameo, with an additionally awkward call to political action from Sheridan at the end. Gaiman also supplies some interesting footnotes and commentary on what it feels like to see your words become screen action. I would have found it more interesting if I knew the show better.

[David Raz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this as part of the 2016 Humble Bundle.

I watched Babylon 5 years ago, but it left little impression on me. This script by Gaiman is no different. I can't really understand why this is considered a favorite episode, maybe the characters behavior is very revealing, or perhaps it is the Penn and Teller appearance. But as a standalone script, for someone who isn't a long time fan, it just doesn't hold much on its own.

[Sergey Selyutin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only seen (and read the script of) this particular episode of 'Babylon 5', so there is no doubt that I'm missing a lot. Still, I liked the story and one of it's messages: it is important that you have peace with your past.

[Brett Bydairk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The script from the Babylon 5 episode.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cracking episode, so it's cool to read this script and seeing a couple funny comments from Jo and Neil.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this in a humble bundle, had no idea what it was. Would probably have made more sense if I had ever seen Babylon 5

[Elin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll start with saying that I've never seen Babylon 5, and after Ghastly Beyond Belief I was excepting something incomprehensible and cheesy. Instead this script drew me in and after the first act I didn't want to stop reading. The characters were fleshed out, despite the fact that it was only a script and the story was well-rounded. Gaiman does things with small amounts of words that I don't think anybody else does. I have never watched Babylon 5, but after reading this script I find myself really wanting to.

[Charles Chlipala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as part of a big cheap bundle of books. IMHO, Babylon 5 is second best Science Fiction series of all time. And years after seeing this episode, I could still remember the episode. This was the script to a memorable episode in an excellent series, and probably the best episode not an integral part of the series arc, but there were better episodes in the series.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long long time since I've watched or read anything Babylon 5 related. When this aired, it's quite possible I didn't know who Gaiman was. Great script and I can vaguely recall the episode.

[Ming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even not having watched a single episode, and thus not knowing any of the characters, this was a good script.

[Kristina Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

There aren't many annotations in here just occasional commentary.

[Elzakun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the script of one of my favorite B5 episodes ever so nothing could possibly go wrong.