Stephen Franklin (Babylon 5)

Dr. Stephen Franklin
Babylon 5 character
First appearance	Babylon 5: In the Beginning (chronological) Soul Hunter (airdate)
Last appearance	Sleeping in Light (chronological), Each Night I Dream of Home (airdate)
Portrayed by	Richard Biggs
Information
Species	Human
Home planet	Earth
Affiliated with	Babylon 5, Earth Alliance

Babylon 5: In the Beginning (chronological)

Sleeping in Light (chronological),

Stephen Franklin is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Richard Biggs. He serves as the chief medical officer on the Babylon 5 space station.

Dr. Franklin is a strong-willed, kind person and idealistic leader on Babylon 5; he is also a workaholic. He is not afraid to take risks to save a patient's life; this habit can occasionally get him into trouble. He has strong moral and ethical values, but he can also be self-righteous and a perfectionist at times. He apparently has a good relationship with his mother and siblings, although his long absences from Earth often lead them to complain that they rarely see him. His father - a famous general in EarthForce- has a domineering personality, and that has led Stephen to have a strained relationship with him. When they are together they frequently argue and they have conflicting views on a number of subjects. For example, Stephen's father is suspicious of aliens and believes that humans should "take care of their own", while Stephen believes that humanity should be more open to relations with alien races and civilizations. However, in many ways Stephen and his father are more alike than they will admit, and in the series second season they meet and begin to ease their differences. In terms of love and romance throughout the course of the series he has a number of love affairs with various women. His most prominent and long-lasting affair is with "Number One," the attractive and tough-minded leader of the Mars Resistance.

While the character was explicitly described as black in the script of the episode Soul Hunter, his first appearance on the show, J. Michael Straczynski was adamant throughout the run of the series that Franklin be a true individual who could have been played by an actor of any race. Richard Biggs later expressed his gratitude at being able to play a role purely as an actor, not a black actor.

Following in the footsteps of his father, General Richard Franklin, Franklin joined EarthForce in 2232 to become a physician. Shortly after graduating from medical school, he left EarthForce and spent the next three years "hitchhiking" aboard starships, trading his services as doctor for free passage to their destinations. In the course of his work, Franklin took detailed notes on the biology, physiology, and culture of many alien species. In his travels, he encountered a group of Minbari whose transport ship had crashed at Beta Durani. The Minbari were severely injured in the accident, and due to Franklin's lack of knowledge of Minbari biology, they all died. Franklin performed an autopsy on one of the Minbari, and gathered notes on their biology and genetics.

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Wikipedia