Starfury
Encyclopedia
The Starfury fighter is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance
, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5
. The CGI
model was first seen in the opening episode of the first season, "Midnight On The Firing Line
" which first aired in the United States in January 1994, and has essentially appeared in every episode thereafter.
It also appears in the later, and short lived, Crusade
television series, the special edition (not original) version of the pilot movie, The Gathering
, the TV movies In the Beginning
, Thirdspace
, The River of Souls
and A Call to Arms
, The Lost Tales
(the first in an anthology series
which was to be released on DVD
but was aborted due to funding issues), plus a number of written short stories and novels based in the same fictional universe
.
gave the green light for the television series, the initial design of the Starfury was a collaboration between Steve Burg (a freelance designer on the show) who created a number of possible concepts and Ron Thornton (co-founder of Foundation Imaging
) who refined and detailed the Lightwave models. Due to the high number expected to appear on screen, this refining of the potential and final designs was necessary in order to keep the model's polygon
count as small as possible due to the limited processing power (and memory) of the Amiga
computers used for rendering
animation sequences during the first season of Babylon 5.
Located at the end of each of the four strut
s or wing
s, though it is not capable of atmospheric flight, are two large thrusters, one facing forward and one back. Attached to the housing assembly for these are two additional smaller attitude control thrusters. While creating the design it was envisaged that the engines would work in a similar way to those of the Harrier
, in that the output could be sent to any one of the four nozzles. The smaller manoeuvring ones have about 15 to 20% of the thrust of the larger Because of the positioning of these 16 thrusters and the use of computer animation, as opposed to using miniatures
and more established animation techniques such as motion control
, the Starfury was able to be depicted as an incredibly agile fighter.
Unknown to the producers of the show at the time it was an intentional homage
to, what Thornton and Burg felt was, the excellent and under utilised design ideas seen in the Gunstar from the 1984 movie, The Last Starfighter
, which was created by their close friend Ron Cobb
. The final shape of the Starfury was also influenced by an earlier (unused) design created by Steve Burg for the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day
.
The design was also ideal for demonstrating to the executive producer
s an idea which Thornton wished to introduce. Namely, the closer adherence to real physics with regards to how human (not alien) vessels manoeuvred in space, and that it could be depicted in an interesting and exciting way. An example of how he demonstrated this can be found in the season one episode "Soul Hunter
". Before deploying its grappling
claw a Starfury pilot carries out a complex set of subtle manoeuvres, with careful attention being made to the firing of the thrusters to match the rotation of a damaged alien vessel tumbling towards the Babylon 5 space station
.
Another example of the more scientifically grounded approach which Foundation Imaging introduced to the series was the weaponry of the Starfury and other Earth vessels. Ejecting ball bearings into the flight paths of enemy vessels or using regular gunfire was considered, and subsequently rejected, on the grounds of it not being visually compelling. It was supervising animator Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz who theorised that plasma
fire would have a similar appeareance to the laser fire
used in various movies and other television shows, but as it would not travel at the speed of light (as would be the case with lasers), it would lend credulity to the idea of the viewer seeing a burst of light move across the screen
The inclusion of nose art
on many of the vessels was an idea put forward by series producer John Copeland who had a keen interest in WWII and other military subjects. It also had the advantage of identifying which character was in which fighter. The early designs were created by Ron Thornton and Mark Kotchinski.
Over the course of Babylon 5, the subsequent movies, the Crusade
series and more recently with the 2007 version created by Jose Perez (a freelance designer working for Atmosphere Visual Effects
) that appears in The Lost Tales
, the level of detail in the design has increased as computer technology has developed. Some minor variants were also created to meet the requirements of episode scripts, such as those used to escort the presidential vessel known as EarthForce One
, as well as more substantial departures from the original design.
While developing the computer model for this, the original Starfury design which was also called the SA-23E Mitchell-Hyundyne Starfury in the Babylon 5 Security Manual, the issue of launching was also being discussed. One early idea put forward by Straczynski had them attached to rotating doors that would swing a ship outside the station before it detached and moved off.
Thornton wanted something more dramatic, similar to the catapult
used on aircraft carriers to launch fighters, etc. But as that had already been used in the Battlestar Galactica
television series, and the Starfuries would be launched from a rotating station he developed the idea of Cobra Bays, which also had the advantage of fitting in with his idea of using more realistic physics within the CGI sequences. The vessels were held in a tilt and release mechanism; centrifugal force
created by the rotation of the station (or of the mid section of the Omega class destroyer
s from which they could also launch) would essentially throw the fighters out of the launch bays, although they were only ever seen launching from the destroyers using the recovery bay located at the front of the ship. This was due to Foundation Imaging being replaced by Netter Digital
in Season 4, whose animators were not aware of this functionality included in the Omega design.
Described as a stealth version of the Starfury by Straczynski, the Black Omega fighters, attached to Psi Corps
, first appeared in the season one episode, "Mind War
", which originally aired in the United States in March 1994.
This is a minor variant of the Lightwave computer model as the main differences from the original revolve around the texture map
being used. For example, the nozzle heads on the front and rear of the main thrusters appear dark and smooth. On others such as the heavy fighter they appear striated
. In fact, they too are also smooth. To create the impression of model detailing, Thornton would use a palette of only 128 colours to draw surface details, such as panelling, onto the texture map
rather than build it. Lightwave would then dither the maps, and with the rendering
software they looked as good as 24 bit
colour images. This is one of the techniques Foundation Imaging
used to keep things like the polygon
count to a minimum in order to produce the ground breaking animations with the limited amount of RAM that the Amiga Computers
held.
In June 1994, on the rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
forum, J. Michael Straczynski
described the standard Starfury as a light fighter
and mentioned a two man heavy fighter
variant would appear in an upcoming episode. This two-man fighter, with rear-facing cockpit and unusually large forward gun emplacement, only appeared in the season one episode, "A Voice in the Wilderness II", which first aired in the United States in August that year.
Like the Nova class dreadnought
(based on the Omega class destroyer
), this is the result of another technique which those at Foundation Imaging
transferred from their earlier careers in visual effects (before the use of computers), called Kitbashing
. Using a library of standard parts to quickly build a new model, sometimes based on an existing design, is occasionally referred to as a cut and paste job or, depending how happy they were with it, a Kludge
. Although the computer model had been altered this too was regarded as a minor variant. As a result, no one from Foundation Imaging remembers who created it. It is also widely, though incorrectly, called the Badger heavy fighter amongst fans of the show.
The Thunderbolt first appeared in the season 3 episode, "Severed Dreams
", which initially aired in the United States in April 1996. With the addition of rotating airfoil
s, that when deployed essentially extend the length of the ‘wings’, located beside the 4 main thruster assemblies, this was depicted as the first atmospheric-capable production model of a Starfury.
Created at the request of series producer
John Copeland, who wanted to expand what was seen of the Earthforce fleet as the earlier space bound Starfury was an obviously limited design, both for dramatic story telling purposes and as the only fighter apparently being used by a space based military force. Steve Burg was the designer and while trying to retain elements of the Starfury, yet have its own identity, he described this variant as being more difficult to create than the original, an early version having an elongated tail with the fins attached there, separate from the engines. At the request of John Copeland it took some inspiration from the American F-15E Strike Eagle
, which made it a two-seater. With the second pilot sitting behind the first, the pilots in other Starfuries remain standing. The design also features an extended fuselage compared to the Starfuries and the computer model was built by Larry Bowman.
This unarmed utility vehicle was first seen in the television movie, Thirdspace
, which initially aired in the United States in July 1998. Created at the request of J. Michael Straczynski
, it also replaced the Zero-G cargo lifters, which could be seen flying around the Babylon 5 space station
during the first few seasons of the show.
Designed by Tim Earls, who joined Babylon 5 in season four and built by Larry Bowman, this was the only Starfury variant to be seen that did not have the distinctive X configuration of the strut
s holding the thruster assemblies. Though it did retain the single standing pilot. Earls would reference real world objects and incorporate those ideas into a design as he approached them as if they were real. This can be seen with the texture map, the hydraulic and articulated lifting claws, and the more industrial appearance of the two strut
s holding the thrusters. Referred to as a forklift by Earls, it was never named in the show though it is often referred to as a construction or maintenance Fury by fans.
forum, indicated three new ship designs would be seen in the upcoming TNT
movie, In the Beginning
. Named as the Olympus class corvette
, the Cotten class deep penetration tender and the two man Badger heavy fighter, only the Olympus actually appeared in the final version of the movie.
In November 1997 Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment released the The Babylon Project, a role playing game based in the Babylon 5 fictional universe
. It included a list of many of the vessels seen in the show and created many of the names for the ship models now widely used by fans. It also attached the 1997 Badger name, released by George Johnsen, to the only two man heavy fighter variant known at that time (other than the named Thunderbolt) - the heavy fighter that appeared the season one episode "A Voice in the Wilderness II" in 1994. As later gaming companies such as Agents of Gaming
and Mongoose Publishing
based their desktop and role playing games on much of the early work carried out by Chameleon Eclectic, the assumption was repeated by them as well as a number of fan sites which quoted from the various publications they produced. The Badger was, in fact, an unseen design created by Tim Earls at the behest of George Johnsen in 1997.
", the standard light Starfury is seen to have a complex computer system that responds to voice commands. It can travel in Hyperspace (the method used in Babylon 5 to cover great distances) but is limited to using jump gates rather than forming jump points. Based on dialogue from the episode it would appear that at least one fighter in a squadron is outfitted with superior sensors to the others. The cockpit (or possibly the pilots pressure suit) contains sensors which monitor their condition, and warning messages can be generated by the ship's computer. In the Season Two episode, "All Alone in the Night
", the viewer is shown that the cockpit can be jettisoned as a life pod and that they are powered by an unspecified fusion reactor system. In various episodes it is seen that in the forward centre of the cross hatched design of the cockpit contains a display that relays sensor information. The interior surface of the cockpit is also covered with various control switches, though the main method of piloting the vessel is implied to be small joysticks that are built into the section which the pilot remains standing in. In the TNT
movie Thirdspace
it is shown that the Starfury can carry 8 unspecified missiles, though it is possible it could carry significantly more due to its design.
In episodes such as Season Three's, "Severed Dreams
", the viewer is shown that the Thunderbolt is capable of deploying air to ground missiles and can fly in a planetary atmosphere. Later in the same season during the, "Ship of Tears
", episode the viewer is told that it carries 4 uni-directional pulse cannons, it contains two pilots, it is the first production model of Starfury capable of flying in atmospheres, and that this is due to the rotating airfoils which are seen being deployed during the episode. In the Season 5 episode "A View from the Gallery
", it is also shown that they can be housed and launched from Cobra Bays. Like the light fighter it has a main viewing screen containing sensor information, though the computer AI is never heard speaking.
Both vessels are portrayed as being highly manoeuvrable. Their maximum acceleration is never specified; there is no point considering that the maximum speed of a Starfury (or any other vehicle in vacuum) is only limited by the speed of light, the amount of fuel the pilot is willing to expend, and the amount of time spent accelerating.
Even less is known from the television series about the usage or specifications of the other variants. It is indicated that the Forklift-variant has an interface that allow its operator to control the small unmanned utility vehicles that are often seen around the station called Maintenance Bots. According to dialogue in "Ship of Tears", the Black Omega Squadron was created by Alfred Bester
(played by Walter Koenig
). It’s regarded as an elite group and each of its telepathic members sign out every model of new fighter and spend time alone with it to become familiar with the design.
This lack of onscreen technical information for the Starfury and other designs can be a source of frustration and some debate for a portion of the shows fans. Displaying more information was not so much an oversight on the part of those responsible for the making of the show, rather it was not considered necessary.
Earth Alliance (Babylon 5)
The Earth Alliance is the name of a fictional alliance of the nations of Earth and off-world colonies in the television series Babylon 5. The transition of Earth government from a democratic, elected government to an authoritarian, militaristic one and back to a democracy again is a major theme of...
, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
. The CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
model was first seen in the opening episode of the first season, "Midnight On The Firing Line
Midnight on the Firing Line
"Midnight on the Firing Line" is the first regular episode of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Teaser:During a shift change at the Centauri agricultural colony of Ragesh 3, a fleet of ships emerges from hyperspace and begins attacking the colony.At Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5,...
" which first aired in the United States in January 1994, and has essentially appeared in every episode thereafter.
It also appears in the later, and short lived, Crusade
Crusade (TV series)
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
television series, the special edition (not original) version of the pilot movie, The Gathering
Babylon 5: The Gathering
Babylon 5: The Gathering is the pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The telefilm aired on February 22, 1993...
, the TV movies In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning is a science fiction television movie set in the Babylon 5 fictional universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Michael Vejar....
, Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño....
, The River of Souls
Babylon 5: The River of Souls
The River of Souls is the third feature-length film set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was originally broadcast November 17, 1998 on TNT, as one of two films shown over the 1998–1999 season to fill in the gap between the fifth season of Babylon 5 and the first season of the spin-off series...
and A Call to Arms
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms
A Call To Arms is the fourth feature-length film set in the Babylon 5 universe . It was written by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by Mike Vejar, and originally aired January 3, 1999.-Summary:...
, The Lost Tales
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales is an anthology show set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006...
(the first in an anthology series
Anthology television series
An anthology series is a radio or television series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each episode. These usually have a different cast each week, but several series in the past, such as Four Star Playhouse, employed a permanent troupe of character actors who...
which was to be released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
but was aborted due to funding issues), plus a number of written short stories and novels based in the same fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
.
Origin and design
Created after Warner BrothersWarner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
gave the green light for the television series, the initial design of the Starfury was a collaboration between Steve Burg (a freelance designer on the show) who created a number of possible concepts and Ron Thornton (co-founder of Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging was a CGI visual effects studio, computer animation studio, and post-production editing facility that pioneered digital imaging for television programming using Newtek's LightWave 3D on Commodore Amiga based Video Toaster workstations. Founded by Paul Beigle-Bryant and Ron...
) who refined and detailed the Lightwave models. Due to the high number expected to appear on screen, this refining of the potential and final designs was necessary in order to keep the model's polygon
Polygon (computer graphics)
Polygons are used in computer graphics to compose images that are three-dimensional in appearance. Usually triangular, polygons arise when an object's surface is modeled, vertices are selected, and the object is rendered in a wire frame model. This is quicker to display than a shaded model; thus...
count as small as possible due to the limited processing power (and memory) of the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computers used for rendering
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
animation sequences during the first season of Babylon 5.
Located at the end of each of the four strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
s or wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s, though it is not capable of atmospheric flight, are two large thrusters, one facing forward and one back. Attached to the housing assembly for these are two additional smaller attitude control thrusters. While creating the design it was envisaged that the engines would work in a similar way to those of the Harrier
Harrier Jump Jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
, in that the output could be sent to any one of the four nozzles. The smaller manoeuvring ones have about 15 to 20% of the thrust of the larger Because of the positioning of these 16 thrusters and the use of computer animation, as opposed to using miniatures
Miniature effect
A miniature effect is a special effect created for motion pictures and television programs using scale models. Scale models are often combined with high speed photography or matte shots to make gravitational and other effects appear convicing to the viewer...
and more established animation techniques such as motion control
Motion control photography
Motion control photography is a technique used in still and motion photography that enables precise control of, and optionally also allows repetition of, camera movements. It can be used to facilitate special effects photography. The process can involve filming several elements using the same...
, the Starfury was able to be depicted as an incredibly agile fighter.
Unknown to the producers of the show at the time it was an intentional homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to, what Thornton and Burg felt was, the excellent and under utilised design ideas seen in the Gunstar from the 1984 movie, The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter is a 1984 science fiction adventure film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan , an average teenage boy recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also featured Dan O'Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Preston, Norman...
, which was created by their close friend Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb is an American cartoonist, artist, writer, film designer, and film director.By the age of 18, with no formal training in graphic illustration, Cobb was working as an animation "inbetweener" artist for Disney Studios in Burbank, California. He progressed to becoming a breakdown artist on...
. The final shape of the Starfury was also influenced by an earlier (unused) design created by Steve Burg for the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
.
The design was also ideal for demonstrating to the executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s an idea which Thornton wished to introduce. Namely, the closer adherence to real physics with regards to how human (not alien) vessels manoeuvred in space, and that it could be depicted in an interesting and exciting way. An example of how he demonstrated this can be found in the season one episode "Soul Hunter
Soul Hunter (Babylon 5)
"Soul Hunter" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.- Summary :Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair stand near one of Babylon 5's entry bays, waiting for the station's new medical chief of staff, Dr. Stephen Franklin...
". Before deploying its grappling
Grapple (tool)
A grapple is a hook or claw used to catch or hold something. A ship's anchor is a type of grapple, especially the "grapnel" anchor.A throwing grapple is a multi-pronged hook that is tied to a rope and thrown to catch a grip, as on a parapet or branch of a tree...
claw a Starfury pilot carries out a complex set of subtle manoeuvres, with careful attention being made to the firing of the thrusters to match the rotation of a damaged alien vessel tumbling towards the Babylon 5 space station
Babylon 5 (space station)
Babylon 5 is a fictional space station and the primary setting in the television series Babylon 5. Its design is a variation of an O'Neill cylinder....
.
Another example of the more scientifically grounded approach which Foundation Imaging introduced to the series was the weaponry of the Starfury and other Earth vessels. Ejecting ball bearings into the flight paths of enemy vessels or using regular gunfire was considered, and subsequently rejected, on the grounds of it not being visually compelling. It was supervising animator Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz who theorised that plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
fire would have a similar appeareance to the laser fire
Weapons in science fiction
Strange and exotic weapons are a recurring theme in science fiction. In some cases, weapons first introduced in science fiction have now been made a reality...
used in various movies and other television shows, but as it would not travel at the speed of light (as would be the case with lasers), it would lend credulity to the idea of the viewer seeing a burst of light move across the screen
The inclusion of nose art
Nose art
Nose art is a decorative painting or design on the fuselage of a military aircraft, usually located near the nose, and is a form of aircraft graffiti....
on many of the vessels was an idea put forward by series producer John Copeland who had a keen interest in WWII and other military subjects. It also had the advantage of identifying which character was in which fighter. The early designs were created by Ron Thornton and Mark Kotchinski.
Over the course of Babylon 5, the subsequent movies, the Crusade
Crusade (TV series)
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
series and more recently with the 2007 version created by Jose Perez (a freelance designer working for Atmosphere Visual Effects
Atmosphere Visual Effects
Atmosphere Visual Effects is a Vancouver based visual effects company. It was founded in 2003 by Andrew Karr, Tom Archer, and Jeremy Hoey, ex-employees of Vancouver based visual effects company GVFX, after said company folded in that year...
) that appears in The Lost Tales
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales is an anthology show set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006...
, the level of detail in the design has increased as computer technology has developed. Some minor variants were also created to meet the requirements of episode scripts, such as those used to escort the presidential vessel known as EarthForce One
EarthForce One
EarthForce One is a fictional spacecraft used in the Babylon 5 science fiction television series to transport the Earth Alliance President to other planets.-2258 Presidential visit to Babylon 5:...
, as well as more substantial departures from the original design.
Designed but never used
Located at the rear of the four main engines are thrust vectoring baffles. Their purpose was to indicate the fine tuning of the direction of the exhaust during animated sequences. However, this idea was never realised due to the processing limitations of the early desktop computers used, and the added time necessary to accurately represent the movements.Medium fighter
Thornton wanted something more dramatic, similar to the catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
used on aircraft carriers to launch fighters, etc. But as that had already been used in the Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
television series, and the Starfuries would be launched from a rotating station he developed the idea of Cobra Bays, which also had the advantage of fitting in with his idea of using more realistic physics within the CGI sequences. The vessels were held in a tilt and release mechanism; centrifugal force
Centrifugal force
Centrifugal force can generally be any force directed outward relative to some origin. More particularly, in classical mechanics, the centrifugal force is an outward force which arises when describing the motion of objects in a rotating reference frame...
created by the rotation of the station (or of the mid section of the Omega class destroyer
Omega class destroyer
The Omega-class destroyer is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5...
s from which they could also launch) would essentially throw the fighters out of the launch bays, although they were only ever seen launching from the destroyers using the recovery bay located at the front of the ship. This was due to Foundation Imaging being replaced by Netter Digital
Netter Digital
'Netter Digital Entertainment was a company created by Douglas Netter in 1995. The company produced the show Hypernauts before moving to digital EFX work and replacing Foundation Imaging in the final two seasons of Babylon 5 as the sole producer of CGI special effects for that series as well as...
in Season 4, whose animators were not aware of this functionality included in the Omega design.
Stealth Fury
Psi Corps
In the fictional universe of Babylon 5, the Psi Corps is an agency of the Earth Alliance responsible for all humans with telepathic or other para-psychological abilities anywhere within Earth controlled space. All persons with Psi abilities are required to either join the Corps, face lifetime...
, first appeared in the season one episode, "Mind War
Mind War
"Mind War" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Talia Winters' old instructor at Psi-Corps, Jason Ironheart, whom she was also romantically linked with in the past, arrives on the station....
", which originally aired in the United States in March 1994.
This is a minor variant of the Lightwave computer model as the main differences from the original revolve around the texture map
Texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
being used. For example, the nozzle heads on the front and rear of the main thrusters appear dark and smooth. On others such as the heavy fighter they appear striated
Striation
Striations means a series of ridges, furrows or linear marks, and are used in several ways* Glacial striation* Striation , a striation as a result of a geological fault* In medicine, striated muscle...
. In fact, they too are also smooth. To create the impression of model detailing, Thornton would use a palette of only 128 colours to draw surface details, such as panelling, onto the texture map
Texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
rather than build it. Lightwave would then dither the maps, and with the rendering
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
software they looked as good as 24 bit
Colour banding
Colour banding is a problem of inaccurate colour presentation in computer graphics. While in 24 bit colour modes, 8 bits per channel should be enough to render images in the full visible spectrum, in some cases there is a risk of producing abrupt changes between shades of the same colour...
colour images. This is one of the techniques Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging was a CGI visual effects studio, computer animation studio, and post-production editing facility that pioneered digital imaging for television programming using Newtek's LightWave 3D on Commodore Amiga based Video Toaster workstations. Founded by Paul Beigle-Bryant and Ron...
used to keep things like the polygon
Polygon (computer graphics)
Polygons are used in computer graphics to compose images that are three-dimensional in appearance. Usually triangular, polygons arise when an object's surface is modeled, vertices are selected, and the object is rendered in a wire frame model. This is quicker to display than a shaded model; thus...
count to a minimum in order to produce the ground breaking animations with the limited amount of RAM that the Amiga Computers
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
held.
Heavy fighter
Rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated is a moderated Usenet newsgroup that focuses on the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and the works of writer J. Michael Straczynski. It was spun off from its un-moderated version, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, in 1996...
forum, J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
described the standard Starfury as a light fighter
Light fighter
A light fighter or lightweight fighter is a type of fighter aircraft with a diminutive airframe, deliberately designed to fill a performance niche based on a high power-to-weight ratio...
and mentioned a two man heavy fighter
Heavy fighter
A heavy fighter is a fighter aircraft designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges. To achieve acceptable performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engined, and many had multi-place crews....
variant would appear in an upcoming episode. This two-man fighter, with rear-facing cockpit and unusually large forward gun emplacement, only appeared in the season one episode, "A Voice in the Wilderness II", which first aired in the United States in August that year.
Like the Nova class dreadnought
Nova class dreadnought
The Nova class dreadnought is a heavy warship in the science fiction series Babylon 5. The dreadnought is used by the military branch of the Earth Alliance called EarthForce....
(based on the Omega class destroyer
Omega class destroyer
The Omega-class destroyer is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5...
), this is the result of another technique which those at Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging was a CGI visual effects studio, computer animation studio, and post-production editing facility that pioneered digital imaging for television programming using Newtek's LightWave 3D on Commodore Amiga based Video Toaster workstations. Founded by Paul Beigle-Bryant and Ron...
transferred from their earlier careers in visual effects (before the use of computers), called Kitbashing
Kitbashing
Kitbashing or model bashing is a practice whereby a new scale model is created by taking pieces out of commercial kits. These pieces may be added to a custom project or to another kit. For professional modelmakers, kitbashing is popular to create concept models for detailing movie special effects...
. Using a library of standard parts to quickly build a new model, sometimes based on an existing design, is occasionally referred to as a cut and paste job or, depending how happy they were with it, a Kludge
Kludge
A kludge is a workaround, a quick-and-dirty solution, a clumsy or inelegant, yet effective, solution to a problem, typically using parts that are cobbled together...
. Although the computer model had been altered this too was regarded as a minor variant. As a result, no one from Foundation Imaging remembers who created it. It is also widely, though incorrectly, called the Badger heavy fighter amongst fans of the show.
Thunderbolt
Severed Dreams
"Severed Dreams" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Synopsis:...
", which initially aired in the United States in April 1996. With the addition of rotating airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
s, that when deployed essentially extend the length of the ‘wings’, located beside the 4 main thruster assemblies, this was depicted as the first atmospheric-capable production model of a Starfury.
Created at the request of series producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
John Copeland, who wanted to expand what was seen of the Earthforce fleet as the earlier space bound Starfury was an obviously limited design, both for dramatic story telling purposes and as the only fighter apparently being used by a space based military force. Steve Burg was the designer and while trying to retain elements of the Starfury, yet have its own identity, he described this variant as being more difficult to create than the original, an early version having an elongated tail with the fins attached there, separate from the engines. At the request of John Copeland it took some inspiration from the American F-15E Strike Eagle
F-15E Strike Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...
, which made it a two-seater. With the second pilot sitting behind the first, the pilots in other Starfuries remain standing. The design also features an extended fuselage compared to the Starfuries and the computer model was built by Larry Bowman.
The forklift
Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño....
, which initially aired in the United States in July 1998. Created at the request of J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
, it also replaced the Zero-G cargo lifters, which could be seen flying around the Babylon 5 space station
Babylon 5 (space station)
Babylon 5 is a fictional space station and the primary setting in the television series Babylon 5. Its design is a variation of an O'Neill cylinder....
during the first few seasons of the show.
Designed by Tim Earls, who joined Babylon 5 in season four and built by Larry Bowman, this was the only Starfury variant to be seen that did not have the distinctive X configuration of the strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
s holding the thruster assemblies. Though it did retain the single standing pilot. Earls would reference real world objects and incorporate those ideas into a design as he approached them as if they were real. This can be seen with the texture map, the hydraulic and articulated lifting claws, and the more industrial appearance of the two strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
s holding the thrusters. Referred to as a forklift by Earls, it was never named in the show though it is often referred to as a construction or maintenance Fury by fans.
The Badger
In April 1997 co-producer George Johnsen, while replying to a question on the rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderatedRec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated is a moderated Usenet newsgroup that focuses on the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and the works of writer J. Michael Straczynski. It was spun off from its un-moderated version, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, in 1996...
forum, indicated three new ship designs would be seen in the upcoming TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
movie, In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning is a science fiction television movie set in the Babylon 5 fictional universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Michael Vejar....
. Named as the Olympus class corvette
Olympus class corvette
The Olympus class Corvette is a starship class from the fictional universe of Babylon 5. The Olympus is a small ship but has played an important part in Earth’s history.-History:...
, the Cotten class deep penetration tender and the two man Badger heavy fighter, only the Olympus actually appeared in the final version of the movie.
In November 1997 Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment released the The Babylon Project, a role playing game based in the Babylon 5 fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. It included a list of many of the vessels seen in the show and created many of the names for the ship models now widely used by fans. It also attached the 1997 Badger name, released by George Johnsen, to the only two man heavy fighter variant known at that time (other than the named Thunderbolt) - the heavy fighter that appeared the season one episode "A Voice in the Wilderness II" in 1994. As later gaming companies such as Agents of Gaming
Agents of Gaming
Agents of Gaming was a game design studio that started out in January 1992 by Bruce Graw. The company's original purpose was to run Galactic Conquest, the play-by-mail game which became Star Fleet Warlord. Galactic Conquest had originally been run as a hobby , but proved its worth in the first...
and Mongoose Publishing
Mongoose Publishing
Mongoose Publishing is a prolific British manufacturer of role-playing games, miniatures, and card games, actively publishing material since 2001...
based their desktop and role playing games on much of the early work carried out by Chameleon Eclectic, the assumption was repeated by them as well as a number of fan sites which quoted from the various publications they produced. The Badger was, in fact, an unseen design created by Tim Earls at the behest of George Johnsen in 1997.
Appearances
In episodes such as Season Two's "A Distant StarA Distant Star
"A Distant Star" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:In the opening scenes of the episode, an EarthForce Explorer-class ship, the EAS Cortez, is seen. The ship's captain, Jack Maynard, is an old friend of Babylon 5 commander Captain John...
", the standard light Starfury is seen to have a complex computer system that responds to voice commands. It can travel in Hyperspace (the method used in Babylon 5 to cover great distances) but is limited to using jump gates rather than forming jump points. Based on dialogue from the episode it would appear that at least one fighter in a squadron is outfitted with superior sensors to the others. The cockpit (or possibly the pilots pressure suit) contains sensors which monitor their condition, and warning messages can be generated by the ship's computer. In the Season Two episode, "All Alone in the Night
All Alone in the Night
"All Alone in the Night" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.- Plot :As the episode begins, Babylon 5's command staff receives reports of mysterious attacks on merchant ships near Babylon 5. Captain Sheridan decides to take a wing of Starfury...
", the viewer is shown that the cockpit can be jettisoned as a life pod and that they are powered by an unspecified fusion reactor system. In various episodes it is seen that in the forward centre of the cross hatched design of the cockpit contains a display that relays sensor information. The interior surface of the cockpit is also covered with various control switches, though the main method of piloting the vessel is implied to be small joysticks that are built into the section which the pilot remains standing in. In the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
movie Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño....
it is shown that the Starfury can carry 8 unspecified missiles, though it is possible it could carry significantly more due to its design.
In episodes such as Season Three's, "Severed Dreams
Severed Dreams
"Severed Dreams" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Synopsis:...
", the viewer is shown that the Thunderbolt is capable of deploying air to ground missiles and can fly in a planetary atmosphere. Later in the same season during the, "Ship of Tears
Ship of Tears
Ship of Tears is an episode from the third season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Bester returns to Babylon 5 and proposes an unlikely alliance....
", episode the viewer is told that it carries 4 uni-directional pulse cannons, it contains two pilots, it is the first production model of Starfury capable of flying in atmospheres, and that this is due to the rotating airfoils which are seen being deployed during the episode. In the Season 5 episode "A View from the Gallery
A View from the Gallery
"A View from the Gallery" is an episode from the fifth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. The episode is unusual in that it is told from the viewpoint of two maintenance workers as they witness the station being attacked.-Synopsis:Unknown forces attack the station; a pair...
", it is also shown that they can be housed and launched from Cobra Bays. Like the light fighter it has a main viewing screen containing sensor information, though the computer AI is never heard speaking.
Both vessels are portrayed as being highly manoeuvrable. Their maximum acceleration is never specified; there is no point considering that the maximum speed of a Starfury (or any other vehicle in vacuum) is only limited by the speed of light, the amount of fuel the pilot is willing to expend, and the amount of time spent accelerating.
Even less is known from the television series about the usage or specifications of the other variants. It is indicated that the Forklift-variant has an interface that allow its operator to control the small unmanned utility vehicles that are often seen around the station called Maintenance Bots. According to dialogue in "Ship of Tears", the Black Omega Squadron was created by Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)
Alfred Bester is a Babylon 5 character played by Walter Koenig. He is a senior Psi Cop and a recurring antagonist in the series. J. Michael Straczynski named the character after the science fiction writer Alfred Bester, since telepathy is a recurring theme in his work .-Early Life and Career:The...
(played by Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor, writer, teacher and director, known for his roles as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Alfred Bester in Babylon 5. He wrote the script for the 2008 science fiction legal thriller InAlienable.-Early life:...
). It’s regarded as an elite group and each of its telepathic members sign out every model of new fighter and spend time alone with it to become familiar with the design.
This lack of onscreen technical information for the Starfury and other designs can be a source of frustration and some debate for a portion of the shows fans. Displaying more information was not so much an oversight on the part of those responsible for the making of the show, rather it was not considered necessary.