Babylon 5originally had a very different plan in mind for one minor character before their actress departed the show prematurely.Babylon 5was able to boast that it had a plan in place from the very beginning, with a firm overarching plot that could be seeded and expanded upon over the course of five seasons. However, the unpredictable nature of production meant that the show had to go through several minor changes and tweaks over the course of its run, including with specific character arcs on the variousBabylon space stations.
There were plenty of characters who were important to early episodes ofBabylon 5, only to either be written off the show or killed out-right. An interesting example of this was Talia Winters, who was introduced early in season 1 ofBabylon 5as a means of continuing two long-running plot-lines that had to be altered after the pilot. Despite becoming an important but minor character with greater potential in the show’s overarching storyline, Andrea Thompson left the show in season 2. Here’s why Talia leftBabylon 5and what she would have done in season 5if she’d remained.
Talia Winters Was An Important But Minor Character In Babylon 5
Talia Would Have Been More Important If She Hadn’t Been Written Out In Season 2
Talia Winters was a fairly important figure inBabylon 5’s first two seasons, but the departure of Andrea Thompon from the show’s cast disrupted plans for the character. Introduced in season 1’s “Midnight on the Firing Line,” Talia was a member of the Psi Corps stationed to Babylon 5. Talia served as a member of the station’s primary staff, using her telepathic abilities to assist with a variety of conflicts that arose over the course of the show. Serving as a replacement for Lyta Alexander, Talia interacted with much of the cast in a minor but important capacity.
Babylon 5 Had One Of Sci-Fi’s First LGBTQ+ Relationships, But Never Made It Proper Canon
Babylon 5 quietly had an early LGBTQ+ relationship in the mid-90s, but could never make that entirely clear given the era of television.
Talia’s most developed relationship onBabylon 5was with Susan Ivanova. In contrast to Talia’s loyalty and pride in the Psi Corp, Ivanova’s harsher view on the organization helped codify their role in the show. Susan and Talia grew closer over the course of the first two seasons, with Talia’s final episode even implicitly suggesting the pair was in a romantic relationship. Talia also developed a strange rapport with Kosh, the mysterious and powerful Vorlon ambassador.
Season 2’s “Divided Loyalites” was Talia’s final episode, serving as an abrupt and tragic finale for the character. Lyta Alexander returned to Babylon 5 with information that the increasingly villainous Psi Corp had implanted a mole on the space station. Their purpose was to spy on the crew and report back to Psi Corp, using a false identity as their cover. This turns out to be Talia, who is exposed and has her personality completely overwritten by “Control.” A tearful Susan fails to restore her and future seasons suggested she was experimented on and dissected by the Psi Corp.
Why Talia Was Written Out Of Babylon 5
Andrea Thompson’s Other Acting Opportunities & Divorce With A Co-Star Might Have Pushed Her Away
Andrea Thompson was not in the pilot forBabylon 5, but quickly became a consistent presence in the show.Talia even had a role in the long game ofBabylon 5, which had begun with a firm five-year plan already in place. The telepath would have gained some impressive power boosts and broken free of the Psi Corps' influence, fighting to ensure the universe’s safety from the Shadows and the liberation of telepaths. However, multiple sources have explained that Andrea Thompson ultimately didn’t want to remain on the show.
Multiple reasons have been given over the years for Thompson’s departure from the show. The most commonly cited explanation is that Thompson was unhappy with the amount of screen time she was getting on the show. Thompson ultimately left the show in the second season and was later cast inNYPD BlueandJAG. Another potential complication with Thompson’s time on the show was her marriage to Michael Doyle, who played Michael Garibaildi.
Talia was ultimately written out of the show by using one of the “trap doors” that series creator J. Michael Straczynski set up for every major character.
The two married in 1995 and had a child together. This was even quietly referenced in the show by having Garibaldi express an attraction to Talia that is never reciprocated. However, the two divorced in 1997. Given Doyle’s important role in the show, it’s possible the personal matters in their marriage were impacting their work space. Whatever the reasons,Talia was ultimately written out of the show by using one of the “trap doors” that series creator J. Michael Straczynski set up for every major character, allowing them to be written out without impacting the overall story too much.
What Talia’s Original Arc In Babylon 5 Was Supposed To Be
Lyta Likely Finished Talia’s Intended Storyline
Talia was notably initally the result ofBabylon 5changing course throughout production from the original intended storyline. Lyta Alexander’s actress Patricia Tallman was unavailable after the pilot for a time, so much of her intended plotline with the Psi Corp and Kosh was given to Talia. When Lyta returned to the show in the same episode that Talia was written out, she presumably regained the primary telepathic plotline. This suggests that if Talia had remained, she would have been the one to fully turn on the Psi Corp and form a closer relationship with Kosh.
Some fans have theorized that Kosh’s interactions with Talia in season 1 could have provided a means of bringing back Talia’s original personality after Control took her over, but the character never reappeared onBabylon 5after her departure.
She would have even spearheaded the telepathic revolution in the show’s final season.Another element of the character that was cut because of Thompson’s departure was the relationship subplot between Susan and Talia. As Straczynski recalled on social media, the actresses who played Susan and Talia were “absolutely” on board with the characters beginning a romance, and it would have become a more pronounced romance if Andrea had remained on the show. This would have likely impactedSusan’s relationship with Marcus, who may not have pursued her so consistently romantically if she was in a committed relationship.
Even Talia’s ultimate fate as a sleeper agent was taken from another character. It was originally Laurel Takashima, a minor season 1 character, who would turn out to be an unwitting double-agent. When Tamlyn Tomita was unable to reprise the role, that storyline went to Talia. It’s likely the Talia persona would have been forced to combat Control if she remained on the show. The telepathic conflict that fuels much ofBabylon 5season 5 would have been Talia’s main arc if the actress had remained on the show long enough to reach that point.
