Babylon 5: The Lost Tales is an anthology show set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006. Straczynski has described the stories as ones he had for the Babylon 5 television series, but never had the time to produce. The project is a series of direct-to-DVD productions. Concurrently with the DVD releases, an HD version is released exclusively on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace.

Each story is worked around a single established character. The production uses cast members from the original television show. The show is shot in High-Definition Television with digital HD cameras. The visual effects are handled by Atmosphere Visual Effects, who previously have worked on other science fiction shows such as the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica and Stargate Atlantis. The music is composed by Christopher Franke, who also did the music for the original Babylon 5 series.

The show is shot in Vancouver, Canada.

There was a third storyline in the original script involving Michael Garibaldi, Jerry Doyle (I)'s character from "Babylon 5" (1994). Eventually it was decided that there should be only two segments, and since his was the most complicated visually and technically, it was postponed for a next time.

Nearly all of the props and costumes from the original series had been lost or stolen. The only ones to remain were a StarFury cockpit and 'Tracy Scoggins EarthForce uniform.

Colonel Lochley tells Sheridan that G'Kar and Dr. Franklin have gone "beyond the rim". This is a nod to the fact that both actors passed away before ‘The Lost Tales’ was made.