ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 17, 1997 TAG: 9703180117
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
SOURCE: JENNIFER BOWLES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Creator of Dilbert always had an out-of-this world sense of humor. Now he's making a cameo as an alien.
Inside a warehouse miles from Hollywood lies the galaxy of ``Babylon 5,'' where one of the science fiction show's biggest fans has just shot a cameo for an upcoming episode.
``I'm playing Mr. Adams who is trying to get [series regular] Mr. Garibaldi to take on the case to find his lost dog,'' the fan says between takes as extras dressed as Centauris, Vorlons and Minbaris amble about.
``It's three lines, but I like to think it's a scene stealer.''
This fan happens to be Scott Adams, creator of the popular comic strip ``Dilbert,'' who says ``Babylon 5'' is the only TV series he catches every week.
Even the real space jockeys at NASA have gotten on board. Every Monday, about 60 NASA employees at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida gather at lunch hour to watch a tape of the show.
Indeed, ``Babylon 5'' has carved a niche in the TV universe despite the irregularity of syndication scheduling and a touch of skepticism from ``Star Trek'' devotees.
Ratings have slowly gathered speed over four seasons, particularly among the young male viewers sought by advertisers. And the series has returned creative energy to the space opera genre at a time when the ``Star Trek'' spinoffs seem to be dwindling in their appeal.
While ``Star Trek: Voyager'' and ``Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' are ``really well done on a lot of levels, there's something about this that just touches some deeper thing,'' Adams says. ``There's like an emotional bind, like you really care about the characters. And when it goes into reruns, I'm just really sad. I feel terrible.''
Adams was asked if he wanted to do the cameo after Dilbert, the computer nerd, appeared in TV Guide in January saying it was the best television show ever. The episode featuring Adams will air the week of May 19. (Most of the show's episodes are rated TV-PG.)
``Babylon 5,'' set in the 23rd century, is a 5-mile-long, self-sufficient space station, a kind of floating United Nations that brings together representatives from several races - both human and alien - to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner.
It is sprinkled with characters who unlike Capt. Kirk are seductively flawed. They're the creation of executive producer and writer J. Michael Straczynski, who developed a story arc to unfold over five TV seasons.
So unlike ``Star Trek'' and most episodic television, ``Babylon 5'' is more like a soap opera, with a continuing storyline.
For those who have missed key developments or for those late-blooming fans, the entire series will be re-run on the cable channel TNT beginning in January. It will be kicked off with a two-hour original film prequel.
The movie will include Bruce Boxleitner, who plays the space station's current commander, Capt. John Sheridan, a fighter pilot turned diplomat. Other cast members include Jerry Doyle, Claudia Christian and ``Taxi'' alumni Jeff Conaway.
There is one carry-over from the old world of the Starship Enterprise: Walter ``Chekov'' Koenig, who plays a recurring character much darker and more sinister than his `Trek' persona.
``When I was on `Star Trek' I was always a supporting player - that's the way the show was set up, it not even a complaint, it's just a fact,'' Koenig says during a break in filming.
``When I appear on `Babylon,' I'm a guest actor and the story heavily involves my character, I'm not simply here in a gratuitous role, just to fill out the crew, which I frequently did with `Star Trek.''
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