Babylon 5

[GhostPoet]

Is now STREAMABLE on Netflix!

YES!!!!!!!!!


Any other fans?

 

[C. Lee]

Thanks for the info, but I've got them all on DVD already.

 

[Superfreak]

me too... if ever there was a show that could use a remake, it's B5. I have a fanboygasm just thinking about that story being told with a more modern perspective of TV production.

 

[Raiden]

Yeah, I was a huge Babylon 5 fan, even attending their conventions (and got a few autographs in return) as well as collecting some of the merchandises like the collectible card games, T-shirt, etc. However, I must say that Season 5 disappointed me greatly, since its quality was a huge drop-off after the stellar season 1-4 (esp. season 4). I've read articles where the creator JMS had said he decided to cram in the pilots from season 5 to 4 after there was uncertainty that it will be picked up for its fifth & final season, and after the series was renewed JMS had to come up with a new story, and the quality declined as a result. The series finale "Sleeping in Light" was actually done in season 4, but put on hold until the end of the season 5.

Btw, JMS had shipped B5 around the movie studios and networks, including Paramount, and I do believe that Paramount stole its concept for the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine. Due to the fact that Babylon 5 did not get picked up until much later, DS9 came out before B5, but their concepts are rather similiar.

 

[Superfreak]

Yeah, I was a huge Babylon 5 fan, even attending their conventions (and got a few autographs in return) as well as collecting some of the merchandises like the collectible card games, T-shirt, etc. However, I must say that Season 5 disappointed me greatly, since its quality was a huge drop-off after the stellar season 1-4 (esp. season 4). I've read articles where the creator JMS had said he decided to cram in the pilots from season 5 to 4 after there was uncertainty that it will be picked up for its fifth & final season, and after the series was renewed JMS had to come up with a new story, and the quality declined as a result. The series finale "Sleeping in Light" was actually done in season 4, but put on hold until the end of the season 5.

Btw, JMS had shipped B5 around the movie studios and networks, including Paramount, and I do believe that Paramount stole its concept for the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine. Due to the fact that Babylon 5 did not get picked up until much later, DS9 came out before B5, but their concepts are rather similiar.

I disagree. DS9 was star trek on a Space Station. B5 was Lord of the Rings, in Space. Totally different

as for tapering off... I agree. The show hit its peak with the season3 finale, interestingly before most of the narratives began reaching their climaxs.

 

[The Question]

Btw, JMS had shipped B5 around the movie studios and networks, including Paramount, and I do believe that Paramount stole its concept for the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine. Due to the fact that Babylon 5 did not get picked up until much later, DS9 came out before B5, but their concepts are rather similiar.

I disagree. "... on a space station" isn't exactly the most unique and genius premise for a TV show. The only really weird coincidence/evidence of theft is that both shows have characters named Dukat/Dukhat that are important to the backstory. But those two characters are as different as night and day, so at most there was a writer of DS9 who saw the name and half remembered it when creating the characters for DS9. In all other respects, the shows are pretty different. Even the space stations are really different, with DS9 feeling like a small frontier town where everybody knows everybody and there's a constant threat of destruction, while Babylon 5 felt like the big, amazing, yet unforgiving city.

Anyway, yeah, huge fan of Babylon 5. It's not my favorite show of all time, and I don't think it's the best, but it is very very good. If I were to choose between Babylon 5 and Deep Space 9, however, I'd probably go with DS9. One of Babylon 5's biggest flaws is that it was concerned with how the characters were a part of the pre-conceived plot, first, and sometimes that made the characterization seem kind of forced. Deep Space 9 was a little better when it came to how it handled it's characters. It felt slightly more organic, which I liked.

 

[GhostPoet]

The show hasn't aged well at all. I'd be all for either a reboot or a brand new story. Though, I don't see that being very likely...either option. Maybe in 10 or 20 more years they'll go back and do something with the franchise.

 

[The Question]

The show hasn't aged well at all. I'd be all for either a reboot or a brand new story. Though, I don't see that being very likely...either option. Maybe in 10 or 20 more years they'll go back and do something with the franchise.

I think it's aged just fine. The first season is just really bad, except for the last episode.

 

[Superfreak]

I think it's aged just fine. The first season is just really bad, except for the last episode.

no, it's really bad. It was just the guy who played sinclair was not good.

 

[Raiden]

no, it's really bad. It was just the guy who played sinclair was not good.

Yeah, I didn't really like Sinclair either, which is why the show imo picked up after Sheridan was introduced. At least they had a good send-off for Sinclair when he became

Spoiler

Valen.

 

[The Question]

no, it's really bad. It was just the guy who played sinclair was not good.

This is true. But the season finale was probably the best episode of the first season. It didn't have any of the lame one of villains/expo-speak/yet another old friend of a main character showing up to provide their backstory through dialogue problems the rest of the season had, and a lot of cool stuff happened in it all at once.

 

[Raiden]

This is true. But the season finale was probably the best episode of the first season. It didn't have any of the lame one of villains/expo-speak/yet another old friend of a main character showing up to provide their backstory through dialogue problems the rest of the season had, and a lot of cool stuff happened in it all at once.

Season 1, like season 5, felt rather out-of-place when compared to 2-4 imo. The middle three seasons were the best, and they helped propelled Babylon 5 from an average sci-fi show to a great one.

 

[Superfreak]

Season 1, like season 5, felt rather out-of-place when compared to 2-4 imo. The middle three seasons were the best, and they helped propelled Babylon 5 from an average sci-fi show to a great one.

indeed. When the 'core' crew was in there proper positions, everything flowed together well.