I just stumbled across news that new direct to DVD "episodes" of my all time favorite sci-fi show Babylon 5 are coming out this summer. Yay!

You can read more about the upcoming "Babylon 5: The Lost Tales" at the Wikipedia page here, and you can pre-order via Amazon here.

Needless to say, I am excited.

But to my utter shock and disgust, I read this in the Wikipedia:

For the CGI, Atmosphere Visual Effects had to use fan created 3D models. The art assets of the original show were turned over to Warner Bros to be archived, with the studio mandating that no back ups be made, a request that was honoured. The archives ended up being lost however, which required the usage of fan created materials for reference.

LOST?!? WTF?

Babylon 5 was a groundbreaking show that revolutionized 3D graphics and television, and which paved the way for every SciFi show since. That all the original 3D models have been lost is a tragedy.

What a waste.

Whose idea was it anyway to insist on no backups being kept? What were they afraid of?

Once again intellectual property ends up destroyed in the name of "protecting" it. This sort of thing seems to happen WAY too frequently in Hollywood, and it is a shame every time.

Imagine if instead of locking the artwork and digital files away in a bottomless vault, Warner Brothers had instead released them to the public domain?

Imagine the vast wealth of fan created content that could have come of that...