I admit that I gave up on B-5 early on, because I was underwhelmed by the first few episodes, but friends I trust convinced me to give it a second chance--and, yes, it does get much better once the big arc plots kick in.
I still prefer Farscape, however. At its best, it's wild, anarchic, and full of vivid, colorful characters. (Did I mention that I have a framed, autographed photo of Chiana on my office wall?)