Discuss Babylon 5
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So, apparently the episodes on dvd and maybe for online streaming too, the ones in season 5 including the Byron character, were shortened for one reason or another. (To avoid paying the Byron actor more money? Nobody seems to know for sure.) Now that Comet is running the original airing versions, I wonder if they'll show the uncut episodes with Byron?
Reply by Knixon
on October 22, 2018 at 4:28 AM
So far, the B5 episodes on Comet are running about 43 to 44 minutes which is normal, I don't think they're being cut, at least not by much. But the DVD versions of the Byron episodes are several minutes shorter. What I'd heard is that they cut or shortened some of his scenes so they wouldn't have to pay the actor extra amounts that his contract demanded, because with the shorter times he wouldn't be considered a "primary cast member" or something.
But that was just for the DVDs, it doesn't apply to broadcast airings, even broadcast airings decades later. That's the same reason why the original "Love And Marriage" song by Sinatra wasn't used on the first DVD releases of "Married With Children," even though local broadcast station airings of the series could still use it: the DVD licensing was separate, and the Sinatra estate wouldn't let them use the song on the DVDs until recently.
I'm definitely going to record the Byron episodes myself, just in case they are longer - more complete - than the DVD versions.