commissioned the series for production in May 1993 as part of its Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). After the successful airing of a test pilot movie on February 22, 1993, Babylon 5: The Gathering, Warner Bros. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. Babylon 5 is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J.