The dream-given form is back! After years of speculation, cult 1990s sci-fi epic Babylon 5 will be returning to screens next year. It has been a long and tortuous road for fans of the original, who were celebrating the supposedly imminent return of the franchise as long ago as 2014. A feature film version was announced then as being in writing, with Bruce Boxleitner and Mira Furlan mentioned as possible cast members. Over time, that project was shelved, and a reboot was announced instead. Concern that the reboot would fall foul of the uncertainty surrounding the future of Warner Bros.’ The CW channel was allayed last month when series creator Michael J. Straczynski revealed that he had received a personal assurance from channel head Mark Pedowitz that the reboot would move forward.

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This news was interpreted in several ways by fans, not least because a substantial delay in the appearance of a brand-new series can precede the step of kicking the project into the long grass. On the above news, it might seem as though the reboot is heading for development hell - were it not for the fact that Pedowitz is a huge Babylon 5 fan.

So if the new Babylon 5 does indeed take off next year, what will it look like? Here’s what we know so far and why we’re excited.

Straczynski Will Continue To Innovate

     Warner Bros. Domestic Television

Babylon 5’s creator is well known for his trenchant views on the leaps forward taken by the original series in the realm of television storytelling, and not without some justification. The original series was the first science fiction show to rely on computer-generated imagery rather than conventional model work for its exterior shots. Furthermore, the original conception of Babylon 5 was as a five-season narrative with continuing plotlines, stepping away from the ‘monster of the week’ approach favored by The X-Files (which debuted four months before Babylon 5), or another contemporary show, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, whose own story arc was dropped and picked up again over the course of several seasons.

In a series of statements published on Twitter in the fall, Straczynski insisted that the new series would be a reboot rather than a continuation in order to allow it to reflect contemporary concerns to the fullest possible extent, rather than simply rehashing old storylines and tropes.

Captain Sheridan Will Return

One exception, however, is Captain Sheridan. It’s fair to say the original series was dogged by casting problems, and in later seasons a steady procession of new actors joined the main cast to replace those who chose to leave, such as Claudia Christian (Grimm, NCIS) and Julie Caitlin Brown (Beverly Hills: 90210). The most pressing problem was the need to replace the series’ leading man, Michael O’Hare, whose battles with mental illness (only revealed after his death in 2012) led to the well-liked character of Commander Sinclair being retired, with only occasional subsequent guest appearances to tie up hanging plot points, at the end of season one.

Sinclair was replaced by Captain Sheridan, a more dynamic, charismatic leader, ably played by Bruce Boxleitner (Tron: Uprising, Supergirl). Few details about the reboot have emerged, but one of those has indicated that the character of Sheridan will return. No further details have been released.

Will There Be Guest Appearances From the Original Cast?

This is not to say that some members of the original cast might not return. However, quite a few of Babylon 5’’s old stagers have either retired from acting or passed away since the series concluded in 1998.

Andreas Katsulas, a favorite among Star Trek fans for his arch portrayal of the Romulan Commander Tomalak in several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, played the Narn ambassador G’Kar for all five seasons of Babylon 5 but died in 2006. Richard Biggs (Franklin) likewise passed away in 2004, and Jerry Doyle (Michael Garibaldi) in 2016, while Stephen Furst, who went on to become a director and producer after playing Vir, died the following year. Jeff Conaway, who played station security chief Zack Allan, passed away from complications arising from drug dependency in 2012. Mira Furlan, who won plaudits for her nuanced portrayal of Delenn, died last year after contracting the West Nile virus.

Meanwhile, Quantum Leap alumna Andrea Thompson (Talia Winters), who became a news anchor for CNN after Babylon 5 came to an end, appears no longer to be active in the acting business after sporadic appearances on screen in the 2010s. At the same time, Bill Mumy (Lennier), and Star Trek’s Walter Koenig, who guest-starred as Alfred Bester in a recurring role, both now primarily concentrate on voice acting.

Casting and directing duties have yet to be announced.