Babylon 5

AJTaliesen

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
So I finally decided to watch Babylon 5, mostly due to the people here recommending it.

FIRST: Please NO SPOILERS past season 2, or if you must or are in doubt, put it in spoiler tags. YES, I realize how asinine it is for me to ask for no spoilers on a show that aired before some of the people reading this were born, but somehow, by some miracle I managed to make it 25 years without anyone spoiling this show for me. It would be a real shame to have it spoiled now.


I’m on Season 3 now and a few thoughts so far:

The people here were right: the writing was way ahead of its time. That’s also probably why it wasn’t more popular, or at least one reason. I just didn’t watch TV that way back then. Back then, I (and most people I think) didn’t schedule TV watching around shows. If I was home and wanted to watch, I’d look for something I liked. MAYBE I’d set aside time for something like Star Trek, but even then, I sometimes missed weeks. Shows like this need you to watch every episode and that’s just not something we did back then. It would be another decade before I even saw all the episodes of TNG and DS9.

I remember trying to watch it back then and it just couldn’t suck me in. Part of it was the fact that without seeing all of it, major parts of it don’t make any sense. That’s great now, all shows are like that now and it makes sense if you’re streaming it. Back then, it was a curse.


Another reason why I think I missed this one is a bit depressing though. I’m watching it because I needed a new show to watch. I tried to finally get into Dr. Who and couldn’t even make it through an entire episode. I’m ACTIVELY searching for a good show and ended up going back in time two decades to find one. Back then it feels like we were swimming in good shows so much that I could afford to just let one or two fall by the wayside.

That’s kind of a sad commentary on sci fi right now. I feel like the sci fi TV writers have lost their way a bit. When this aired, there were two Star Treks, a couple of Trek movies, X files, then another Trek near the end, Sliders (which started strong, even if it lost it’s way) the Stargate franchise was born in the movies during this time, and probably half a dozen others I’m forgetting. That was bad for the show, but it was great as a viewer to have so much choice.


And the last thing I want to comment on is the effects. Others have said before that it would be impossible to update without the separating the pre FX shots…I don’t think so. After watching it, in the first seasons at least, there’s almost never any blended CGI/Live shots. The vast majority of CGI seems to take place in pure cgi shots with no live action at all, and when they are blended, it’s still not a true blend, just some cg backgrounds put behind the characters. Much like old school trek, the only time it happens in front of actors is the weapons fire effects. SO it could be done, although I can’t imagine a studio wanting to spend the time and money updating a show that wasn’t that successful even in it’s day. If someone DID have the inclination to update the effects, it wouldn’t be all that hard to replace the dated CG.


Anyway…the TL;DR is: It’s better than I could have hoped it would be so far. I’m excited that there’s still so much of it for me to watch, and thought I’d come and talk about it and also thank those of you who recommended it so many times.

Also, I know there are other threads about this, but a quick scan showed that they weren’t quite was I was looking for (25 years later it’s not surprising). Also one of the ones I looked at spoiled a major character death for me, so I stopped looking and am actively trying to pretend I didn’t read that, or maybe I misunderstood it.
 
I *think* I saw the show in it's entirety. I've caught a few episodes on Comet, and I don't remember them. So, either I missed a few, or my memory is fading. Either way, I have to agree with the quality of the show, there are few that I watched as closely as I did B5.
 
I was also someone who came to Bab5 late. I remember distinctly watching the miniseries they put out later when it aired on tv and absolutely falling in love with Ivanova, but that was the extent of my awareness of the show until I met and married my husband.

It was definitely an innovative show and although I know there are some who have bad blood about DS9, calling it a rip off, I think that's only in the very broadest strokes (space station/diplomatic posting being the broadest of them). I love both shows and think they each have their own flavor to set themselves apart.
 
Talk about being late to the party!

You are in for a treat

Saw it when it originally aired and at that time I was working Trek Cons every other weekend.

It was a cult classic back then and had its own large and vocal fan base, complete with yearly conventions at blackpool

It was miles ahead of that deep-space franchise! ;)
 
Talk about being late to the party!

You are in for a treat

Saw it when it originally aired and at that time I was working Trek Cons every other weekend.

It was a cult classic back then and had its own large and vocal fan base, complete with yearly conventions at blackpool

It was miles ahead of that deep-space franchise! ;)
Yeah, it's actually a little funny to me. Only took me what, 25 years to get around to it? Maybe I just wasn't ready back then. It's just what I'm looking for right now though, so I'm happy.
 
I was late to the party on B5 also, and was quite surprized at just how much I enjoyed it. It relied heavily on great character development, stories and good actors and less on special effects - which is fine by me. Good sci-fi (good story-telling) should stimulate the imagination, which can fill in whatever technical shortcomings it might have ...something saddly forgotten by producers today. I think you're really going to be glad to have decided to watch that show! (y)
 
Some of the advertisements had some vocal clips from the show, along with the title music had clips. Some folks are not who they seem.
The character development and interpersonal relationships were wonderful as they evolved. Londo & G'Kar probably the most. Lyta Alexanders story line was amazing but tragic. Emperor Cartagia, Mr. Morden, the Shadows, especially their ships. The Vorlons all were amazing aspects as the 5 year story arc progressed. Mr. Garabaldi and the Psi Cop Bester, OMG!!! Enjoy the show.
 
You're on season 3? Oh, boy-sonny, you are in for one roller-coaster of an emotional ride. In terms of pure character growth, this series is whiplash-inducingly ahead of most others I can think of. So many moments that stick with. I was there from the get-go and have re-watched the series so many times and it all still gets me in all the feels. Every time.

The roughest thing, for me, is how many of the cast have died IRL. Compared to its rough contemporary, DS9, it's horrifying.

DS9, main ensemble (10 top-billed in opening credits, all 7 seasons): 0 deaths
B5, main ensemble (16, all 5): 6 deaths

It still hurts
 
I really enjoyed watching Babylon 5 for the first time though and still enjoy rewatching it years later. The character arcs are amazing and seeing them at any stage along that arc knowing what lies ahead gives that scene some .poignancy. While the SFX does make some things look a bit dated, the visuals are still stunning. I love the fact each race has it's own distinctive ship technology and engineering approach.
IMO the best part is the characters, both main and secondary ones. They all evolve with the circumstances they are thrown into and some simply cannot handle it as well as others. It has some fantastic moments when a plan comes together and know ing how it does before hand does not reduce the enjoyment a bit. It also has a bit of a twist to future Earth culture- they show while some classics like Bugs Bunny are still around, music and humor has shifted with their culture into something we do not really understand here and now (Penn & Teller's guest appearance is a great example of that).

When you get through with the series there is still more out there- several feature length films, a pilot show about the Rangers which never got off the ground, a spin off show called 'Crusade' which had a couple of seasons before getting cancelled and a side project called "Babylon 5: The Lost Tales" planned as an anthology show.
 
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Never read any of those myself but they are supposed to be good.
My point was that while the entire series is good there is still a lot more out there to watch

I think the movie 'Thirdspace' is excellent
 
I never cared for the show for one simple reason.
The show didn't have ceilings! Watch and look for it.
It always reminded me that I was watching a "show".
 
Personally I consider Babylon 5 as the best sci-fi series ever. Love the superb acting of Andreas Katsulas/G'Kar and Peter Jurasik/Londo (their duo was fantastic), the excellent story and the evolution of characters during the show. I first watched it in late 90's, and re-watched it 3 times since then, each and every time I loved it more.

"I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we’ve exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that is going will very much miss the part of you that is staying." G'Kar

"We are all the sum of our tears. Too little and the ground is not fertile and nothing can grow there; too much, the best of us is washed away." G'Kar

"But we can’t be free, until we learn to laugh at ourselves. Once you look in the mirror and see just how foolish we can be, laughter is inevitable. And from laughter comes wisdom." G'Kar
 

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Lots of great quotes from the series- my favorite one of all time comes from the first season. In the show up to now G'Kar has been more of a villainous character, you see him warn off Catherine from going to Sigma 957 and later ordering fighters to that location which you assume would attack her. When she gets there she encounters a bizarre ship (based on the CE3K Mothership I think) which as it passes nearby disables her ship. The Narn fighters arrive and save her from certain death and when she confronts G'Kar about what happened he gives a speech which for me took the show to a whole new level-

Catherine Sakai: Ambassador! While I was out there, I saw something. What was it?

G'Kar: [points to a flower with a bug crawling on it] What is this?

Catherine Sakai: An ant.

G'Kar: Ant.

Catherine Sakai: So much gets shipped up from Earth on commercial transports it's hard to keep them out.

G'Kar: Yeah, I have just picked it up on the tip of my glove. If I put it down again, and it asks another ant, "what was that?",

[laughs]

G'Kar: how would it explain? There are things in the universe billions of years older than either of our races. They're vast, timeless, and if they're aware of us at all, it is as little more than ants, and we have as much chance of communicating with them as an ant has with us. We know, we've tried, and we've learned that we can either stay out from underfoot or be stepped on.

Catherine Sakai: That's it? That's all you know?

G'Kar: Yes, they are a mystery. And I am both terrified and reassured to know that there are still wonders in the universe, that we have not yet explained everything. Whatever they are, Miss Sakai, they walk near Sigma 957, and they must walk there alone.
 
And THOSE questions..........

Who are you?

What do you want?

The SHIPS! My favorites were the Shadow "Battle Crabs" and the Minbari "Angelfish". 2nd choice would be the Whitestars.
 
Best example of long-form storytelling in a sci-fi setting, imho. My only complaint is season 5 is a bit weak because they thought they were gonna wrap by the end of season 4, not to say season 5 doesn't have its gems of course. I just wish they would remaster this show in 4K and update the graphics.
 
Love this show! Have the entire dvd set but some of the disks now refuse to load. Wondering how you are watching it. Anyone know if it streaming anywhere?
As an aside, Im fortunate enough to live in the same town as Peter Jurasik/ Londo. Run into him from time to time downtown. :)
 
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