J. Michael Straczynski

J. Michael Straczynski, yeah, that’s the guy behind some seriously iconic sci-fi. Born smack in the middle of New Jersey back in ’54 (Paterson, to be exact), he’s the kind of writer-producer folks in the TV and film world either want to work with or wish they could keep up with. Most people bring up Babylon 5 when his name comes up—which, fair enough, because that show basically redefined space operas in the ’90s. Not just laser fights and cool ships, but wild politics, messed-up aliens, and a plot that actually made you pay attention for more than five minutes. He didn’t just phone it in; he built an entire universe, practically from scratch, and roped in a cult following that still won’t shut up about it decades later. But, Straczynski isn’t just a one-hit wonder. Swing over to 2008, and there’s Changeling—a total shift in gears from space stuff to gritty, emotional drama, and yeah, Angelina Jolie’s in it. That movie pulled in some serious award nods, which isn’t shocking if you’ve seen the way he handles a script. Plus, he tackled Jeremiah in 2002, another show with a post-apocalyptic edge and enough twists to keep anyone guessing. Guy’s life isn’t all about scripts, though. He was married to Kathryn M. Drennan for a while—she’s a writer, too, so you gotta imagine their dinner conversations were anything but boring. Basically, Straczynski’s one of those creative minds who’s always cooking up something unexpected.