Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? So I've decided to finally watch Babylon 5 for the first time ever, and a friend has provided me with all 5 seasons, the movies, even the short-lived Crusade. She's not 100 percent sure of the proper order to watch it all in (There are certain movies meant to be seen in between seasons, I'm told) so I'm appealing to the B5 fans here on the board to set me straight. The show seems generally highly-regarded by people around here, so I'm going to give it a go. Thanks in advance for your responses.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? Okay, here's the deal. Most of what you need to worry about is that the episodes on the DVDs were put on in airdate order, not production order, so there are a couple of tiny continuity issues that crop of (people using devices two episodes before they're shown getting them, referring to things that happened three episodes ago as "yesterday," that sort of thing). Check against this list for when you need to watch episodes in an order different than that of the DVD. This is probably the one thing everyone will agree on. Now, the parts people won't agree on is what to do with the movies and Crusade. It is my opinion that you can watch the prequel movie, "In the Beginning," whenever you damn well please. If I'm trying to convince someone to try the show, I usually start with it because it's a bit less slow and moody than the pilot and first season, so it gives you a taste of what the show is going to become that isn't immediately apparent from starting with the stuff that was made first. Since you're committed, though, I don't think that'll be necessary, so you may as well wait. The general opinion is to watch it between seasons 4 and 5, which is when it originally aired. The movie "Thirdspace" is set in the middle of the fourth season (it's in the correct spot in the list I linked to). I'd just watch it where it goes chronologically but, again, some people insist it should go between season 4 and 5, where it originally aired. It's the Babylon 5 equivalent of those endless debates on when you should play "Razor" if you're showing someone Battlestar Galactica for the first time. River of Souls goes between the second to last and last episodes of the series. Well, technically, because the last episode is a bit of a retrospective or coda, just about all the spinoffs go between the second to last and last episodes, as well. However, I'd watch Babylon 5 as a unit, finishing with the final episode, and then moving on to the spinoffs, rather than saving the finale to be the very last thing you see (which makes chronological sense). Crusade begins with the movie "A Call to Arms" as a sort of pilot to it, and then moves into the series proper. Because of a lot of entertaining production issues, it is logically impossible to watch the episodes of Crusade in any order without there being some kind of continuity error. The list I linked to above has one that preserves continuity between characters and events, while ignoring a production redesign (primarily, new uniforms) that happened midway through the show. The only addendum I have to that is to simply not watch the episode "Warzone." At all. Because it sucks. It's probably the single most terrible thing to come out of the Babylon 5 franchise, and I'm taking that novel where Ivanova shaved her head into account. Finally, Legends of the Rangers and The Lost Tales are both orphaned exercises in nostalgia that never went anywhere. They're kind of fun (Lost Tales is far and away the better of the two, in my opinion), but can safely be watched last.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I've watched the series straight through on the DVDs several and didn't notice a single continuity error. I'd watch the pilot first, though it's not even that necessary. Everything else can wait until you're finished with the whole series. I find that it interrupts the flow of things if you watch them in the middle.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? Just watch the series straight through then watch the movies. That's the way I did it and it was an orgasmic experience.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I don't think "Warzone" is as bad as some make it out to be. It's better than "Visitors from Down the Street," an unfunny and shallow X-Files parody that comes in the middle of what's supposed to be a mission of upmost importance. As for when to watch things, I would follow the Lurker's Guide order for episodes, inserting "Thirdspace" into season four where it belongs, and inserting "In the Beginning" between "Objects at Rest" and the series finale, "Sleeping in Light." Everything else can be kept to its own thing, and, frankly, isn't as good, anyway. Watch "River of Souls," "Legend of the Rangers," "A Call to Arms," "Crusade" (various orders exist, but the one at the Lurker's Guide is as good as any), and finally "The Lost Tales."
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? The Gathering B5 Season 1 B5 Season 2 B5 Season 3 B5 Season 4 In The Beginning Thirdspace B5 Season 5 A River of Souls A Call to Arms Crusade Legend of the Rangers The Lost Tales
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I'll try and repost with a longer explanation. I would go to the lurker's guide for the proper Crusade order. It really helps the flow of the story in jms' order. I would really advise you wait till at least the end of Season 4 before watching in the Beginning. It spoils too many things that are built up during the season.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? The Gathering Seasons 1 - 5 You can watch In the Beginning anytime after season 4, everything else is crap, don't waste your time.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? No idea. In New Zealand we didn't get the movies until long after season five had finished, and even then they aired A Call to Arms two years after Crusade AND on a different channel. It's my preferred order anyway. I also prefer TNTs viewing order for Crusade. Go figure.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? No, although I think it's the production order with the exception of ItB and Thirdspace being flipped. In airdate order, Thirdspace actually aired late in Season 5, and River of Souls also aired just before the end of Season 5. Basically, they held Thirdspace until the long break between 5x17 and 5x18, and once the show came back with the final 5 episodes, they decided to air River of Souls in the same month.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I'd go with Candlelight's order, though you could watch Thirdspace after S4 "Atonement" if you want, it would be more in the internal timeline. Not important. "In the Beginning" should be watched after S4 because it spoils the very ending of S4.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I prefer continuity order (and technically, ItB is a character's recollection of the pre-tv series events, which is why it is farther down on my list). Of course, this doesn't take into account any adventures with actual time travel. The Gathering Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 (up through "The Illusion of Truth") Thirdspace Season 4 (starting with "Atonement") through Season 5 (ending with "Objects at Rest") River of Souls The Legend of the Rangers "To Live and Die in Starlight" A Call to Arms Crusade The Lost Tales "Voices in the Dark" In the Beginning Season 5 ("Sleeping in Light")
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? My one plea would be that the viewer NOT interrupt the emotional intensity of the final three episodes of Season Five for a first viewing. "Objects in Motion", "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light" should be watched in a row for the maximum emotional impact. After the first viewing, do as you like but if you break up those three, IMO, you're cheating yourself. Jan
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I like that order, but I wonder if the opening of "The Lost Tales" is too much of a spoiler for Sleeping in Light? And, subjectively, I think "River of Souls" is terrible. I feel bad placing it anywhere, because it's just going to end up being a disappointing disruption of the flow. "Call to Arms" and "Crusade" illicit similar feelings, since they're essentially unfinished. And "Legend of the Rangers," though I sort of liked it, is also pretty much unfinished, and it only has one Babylon 5 regular in it, too. That's why I prefer to keep those as separate entities.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I think you're selling the emotional impact of "In the Beginning" short if you don't place it in between "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light," but I'll stop preaching and let the OP make up his/her own damned mind.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? Hardcore sci-fi fans (of any stripe) have a tendency to overcomplicate things. B5 even moreso since it's a tighter-than-usual continuity based series. Just watch the TV show DVDs all the way through in the order they were on the DVD. After that watch the movies. IMO many of the movies are subpar and inserting them into the series at points just drags things down. For instance, "A River of Souls" is chronologically in between Objects at rest and Sleeping in Light... but i can't imagine ever suggesting that as a viewing order. River of Souls just SUUUUUCKS in comparison to both of those episodes. "Thirdspace" has a chronology point in between like Ep 7 and 8 of season 4 i think... really bad place to put it as far as quality, since it's so far below the rest of that season. And so on. Just don't bother. The bottom line is, the TV Series is the main course and everything else is just dessert. or coffee after the meal. or a really stale muffin you had for breakfast. Regardless of chronology. It was good enough for the fans watching it on TV, It was good enough for any curious fan going through the DVDs season by season.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? I agree that "Sleeping in Light" should go right after "Objects at Rest". Emotional intensity aside it would be weird to go from the episodes to a bunch of TV movies and then back to just one more episode again.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? Watch the TV show S1-4 first, then you can watch the movies and S5 in any order you wish really. The only hard rule is that you absolutely definitely must not watch In the Beginning before you see S1 -4.
Re: Proper Babylon 5 Viewing Order? The DVD order is fine, but there are little bits and pieces of season one that get flipped strange (one small character bit that pops into my mind is Lennier and his experiences -- does Quality make more sense before Eyes? I think so). The thing about the original PTEN air order for season 1 is that jms was trying to balance the show out so he would move episodes around to places that weren't where he originally envisioned them; he moved some to get a good introduction for the show (such as moving Mind War early) and some were pushed back for CGI issues (such as pushing Grail later), and there were times when jms would write episodes to play in either order (scenes with Lise in Babylon Squared and Voice in the Wilderness). Then PTEN would sometimes air the wrong episode (when TKO aired early). In case you are interested, this appears to be the order as jms gave it to PTEN for season one (this is admittedly my own research, but it's based on several of his posts of the time and also I note that thewb.com has the same order): 1. Midnight on the Firing Line 2. Soul Hunter 3. Born to the Purple 4. Infection 5. The Parliament of Dreams 6. Mind War 7. The War Prayer 8. And the Sky Full of Stars 9. Deathwalker 10. Believers 11. Survivors 12. Signs and Portents 13. By Any Means Necessary 14. The Quality of Mercy 15. Grail 16. Eyes 17. TKO 18. A Voice in the Wilderness, Part I 19. A Voice in the Wilderness, Part II 20. Babylon Squared 21. Legacies 22. Chrysalis My personal preference tweaks this season one order a little more but I won't bore you further at this point. Season 2: go with the lurker's guide order Season 3: go with the DVD order except watch Exogenesis before Dust to Dust (it actually doesn't matter to the story really; just a small line of dialogue I noticed and it appears to be another one where PTEN switched the order that jms gave them) Season 4: production order / air order / DVD order / lurker's guide order - this one is easy Season 5: Day of the Dead is the only anomaly, and I've seen this episode put in about five different places. My thoughts at this point: The DVD has it right. The movies: Not required viewing. They are supplemental material that you might enjoy (personally loved them all), but aren't essential to the five-year story, although In the Beginning does weave a lot of threads from the show together. I like to watch these separate from the series. Edit: oh yeah, watch The Gathering first, being the pilot and all, and then jump into season 1. For some reason it slipped my mind.