Has anyone read about what the b5 arc would have been had O'Hare not left?

I've always felt that it was clear that there would have been no Sheridan character. They could have had the exact same story line with Sinclair as Commander up until War Without End - at that point he could have left and become Valen. Everything would be the same - just no Sheridan. I don't know if there was EVER supposed to be a Sheridan- I'm guessing no - probably AFTER Sinclair played the role of Valen in the past, he'd return to B5 (perhaps moments after he left), aged maybe 10-20 years older (to reflect his time spent in the past as Valen). So you really don't need a Sheridan (in fact, don't we see an older Sinclair in Babylon Squared?).

As to my evidence? The clues are all in s1, I don't recall them all, HOWEVER, I do remember 2 key clues - (1) Sinclair had an asian girlfriend who worked for the interstellar exploration co. and she made reference in s1 to taking a trip out to the rim. When Sinclair is out for s2, we now have Sheridan - whose wife worked for the interstellar exploration co. and she made the trip out to the rim and was co-opted by the Shadows. Just a coincidence that both commanders had girlfriend/wife who worked for an interstellar company making a trip to the rim? (2) They started hinting at a romance between Sinclair and Delenn in s1. When Sinclair is out for s2, we now have Sheridan who has the romance with Delenn. Was this another coincidence that both commanders were starting romances with Delenn??

Clearly - what happened was they sacked Michael O'Hare and JMS rewrote his part in the arc in s2 & s3 to suit Sheridan. Since they'd already hinted at Sinclair being Valen, they kept that part the same - and got him to come back for the 2parter in s3. But the entire storyline works just fine w/o Sheridan. So that's my proof from a straight storyline point of view.

But it makes sense from just a business point of view too. A new series isn't going to hire the lead star to a 1 year contract and plan to replace him for season 2 as a plan from the beginning. I doubt it's EVER happened in the history of dramatic TV shows. The only time they're going to sack the lead is if he wants to leave, or they want him to leave because he's being poorly received. That's what happened.

Now as to JMS - I don't think he's ever denied that what I've said is what happened. I think if you look at his explanation on the Lurker's Guide, he's evasive, and refers to a "mutual agreement" by B5 & Michael O'Hare to leave the show. He's being polite to Michael O'Hare - he's not willing to say "he sucked so we sacked him." (and be honest, Boxleitner WAS much better than O'Hare who was REALLY stiff in s1). But by being polite, he's not being 100% honest either. Also, while I think JMS is far and away one of the better guys out there in writerland, I'm a regular on the B5-JMS mailing list (are you?) - but it's clear he's got a big ego (who wouldn't if they had hoards of fans who worshipped them?). He's VERY slow to EVER admit that anything he's done was a mistake or his fault - so that's why it also suits him to make it seem like the Sheridan switch was always planned.

What do you think?

He's being polite to Michael O'Hare - he's not willing to say "he sucked so we sacked him." (and be honest, Boxleitner WAS much better than O'Hare who was REALLY stiff in s1).

I don't think it's a matter for O'Hare doing a bad job. It was more a problem of JMS realizing that the character was too dark, angry and brooding for what he had planed for the future of the show (How the character came across is a function of the writing, acting, and directing.)

BTW I think some B5 fans would disagree with you about the 2 commanders. I know quite a few fans who liked Sinclair better and refered to Sheridan as "Smiley" beacuse they felt he cocky and cheerful for the show.

Well..I wouldn't debate the relative merits of the captains so closely...it's really just a matter of personal taste- I cna certainly see an argument being made that Boxleitner was too lightweight for the role.

My main interest is the question of what would the arc have been like if everyone was happy with O'Hare? Would we have had no Sheridan character at all? Was that the original plan? It's clear to me that at a minimum, the arc was originally planned with Sinclair doing the things that Shridan did at least up until War without End

I can imagine a way to integrate Sheridan into a version of B5 in which Sinclair remained commander of the station. At the start of season 2, Sinclair gets promoted to captain, Sheridan and the EAS Agamemnon get assigned to defend Babylon 5, over some objections from the Minbari. Laurel Takashima, the former XO of B5, is Sheridan's XO now. They quickly come to the conclusion that Santiago didn't die in an accident, and begin to help General Hague to find evidence that he was murdered. However, Sinclair gets more interested in the goings-on of aliens though. This leads to conflict as Sheridan begins to think he likes Minbari too much. As this season progresses, they gain respect for each other through various crises, like the Aggy defending that Narn ship from the Centauri. By the end of season 2, Sinclair, Delenn, Kosh and the Rangers are quietly working together, and Sheridan is trying to figure out what he is up to. Takashima and Winters are exposed as spies for Clark.

During the first half of season 3, Sheridan and G'Kar are drawn together by their wish to participate in this conspiracy of light. When B5 secedes, the Churchill is destroyed, the Agamemnon and Alexander are damaged, and Sheridan is finally let in on Sinclair's activities. He and Marcus run the Whitestar. By the end of season 3, Catherine Sakai and Anna Sheridan showup, and have to bring Sinclair or Sheridan to Z'Ha'Dum. Sheridan takes the initiative and goes, so Sinclair will be safe (turns out Kosh arranged this after telling Sinclair he would not be able to help him on Z'Ha'Dum if he goes).

In season 4, Sinclair becomes head of the Rangers, and leads the Whitestar fleet from the station, with Sheridan commanding the fleet in the field for him. The Agamemnon stays at B5, running its defenses. This raises Garibaldi's hackles, as he becomes convinced that Sheridan is trying to take over their organization (the mental commands in his head push him toward that conclusion). He eventually arranges for Sheridan's capture, which backfires as it turns out Sinclair shows up on Mars. Garibaldi and Sheridan rescue him, and Sinclair leads the liberation of Earth from Whitestar 2. Sheridan commands the Agamemnon and the rest of the rebel Earthforce ships, attacking Clark's defense satellites. Marcus still dies and Ivanova returns to Earthforce as a captain.

In season 5, Sinclair is elected president of the Interstellar Alliance, with Delenn and Sheridan leading the Rangers. They become closer as this season continues. Takashima is assigned as commander of B5, and has to overcome the crew's massive distrust of her. War Without End (without Marcus or Ivanova) becomes the next-to-last episode, ending with Sinclair going back with B4, and Delenn being elected the next president of the Alliance and Sheridan becoming head of the Rangers (fulfilling Zathras' statement about The One). Sleeping in Light, slightly altered, is the final episode.

Basically, much of the series could have been left unaltered. The pieces were there for such a development but just were not picked up. It's nobody's fault, but with a little imagination, it could have worked.

Michael O'Hare has passed away at the age of 60. He suffered a heart attack on the 23rd and went into a coma, and died on the 28th. Having never seen B5, I am not sure how Jeffrey Sinclair was as the station commander compared to John Sheridan, but someday I would like to see the series in it's entirety.

According to Wikipedia: "In 1992, he was cast in the lead role of Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. O'Hare remained with the series for one full season; both he and series producer J. Michael Straczynski said the decision for the character to depart was mutual and amicable. O'Hare subsequently reprised the character in season two as well as in a two-episode guest appearance in season three, enabling the show to complete the character arc."

I wonder if anyone will respond to this, I don't think anyone else has posted on this board for a long time!

Very sad news. I always wondered how the series would have panned out had he stayed on rather than leaving.

That being said, his final episodes in the series were outstanding.

Wow, that's no age these days. It's always sad to lose someone who starred in this marvellous series, and that's at least two actors from the show who have died far too young.

Sinclair wasn't an impressive character, IMO, and I personally think the series came alive when Sheridan took over, but as Rodney said, Sinclair's reappearance made for a couple of the best episodes in the entire series.