Farscape or Babylon 5?

[Sindatur]

I too am really taken aback by this claim of poor acting in Babylon 5. Sure, Claudia Christian and Pat Tallman aren't Meryl Streep, but, they do a fine job as the characters they play. The rest of the principals are all great actors, IMHO (as well as several of the recurring actors who played multiple roles such as Kim Strauss and Wayne Alexander).

Certainly, some of the acting is more like a stage play than TV, and more formal and Shakespearean, but, I don't think the acting is poor in the slightest.

[RoJoHen]

I think the actors in B5 do a fine job, but I also think many of their performances could have been better directed and the dialogue better written. Much of it just sounds very unnatural.

[Sindatur]

RoJoHen wrote:

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I think the actors in B5 do a fine job, but I also think many of their performances could have been better directed and the dialogue better written. Much of it just sounds very unnatural.

As far as guest actors, I'll give you Marjorie Monnaghan, she probably should've chosen a different career, she's great as an action hero, but, her line delivery leaves an awful lot to be desired in any role I've seen her in

[kirk55555]

I ended up going with Babylon 5 season 1. After seeing the first episode, I think I'm more in the mood for a series like that right now. Still, whenever I get enough money for Farscape, I'm going to get it. It looked good when i watched the first episode of it awhile ago, but even if it hadn't I was a big fan of Claudia Black and ben Bowder in SG-1, and that would probably be enough for me to try Farscape out anyway (I know Black's characters are fairly different in the two shows, I stillbecame a fan because of sG-1 and its still a positive thing to me).

[RoJoHen]

Claudia Black really impresses me as an actress. I never could have envisioned her playing anyone other than Aeryn Sun, and then I saw her as Vala in SG-1 and blown away by how different the characters were.

[kirk55555]

RoJoHen wrote:

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Claudia Black really impresses me as an actress. I never could have envisioned her playing anyone other than Aeryn Sun, and then I saw her as Vala in SG-1 and blown away by how different the characters were.

Its funny, I can't imagine her playing anyone else other than Vala, but it will be interesting to see her in Farscape when I get to it. I've liked the stuff I've seen with her. Plus, she's also a great voice actress, Morrigan was my favorite character in Dragon Age Origins, and without Black's voice acting, it wouldn't have been the same. Same with Chloe in Uncharted 2. She was also good as Cheetah in the Justice League: Doom animated movie. She hasn't done a lot of very popular stuff (on wikipedia she doesn't have seemed to have done much that I've seen outside of stargate, although her being in an episode of Xena is kind of funny, I can't imagine watching a Xena episode and just randomly seeing Claudia Black show up) , but whenever I see she's in something, I'm excited.

[Greg Cox]

Ian Keldon wrote:

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Go peddle your kool-aid elsewhere, Legion, because it ain't selling with me.

No need to get so hostile. I prefer Farscape, but I don't feel a need to belittle B-5, which I have a lot of respect for.

I get that you're a big B-5 fan, and FS didnt work for you, but why go at FS so aggressively? Both shows had many good actors and interesting characters, including, in the case of FS, Crichton, Aeryn Sun, Chiana, Zhaan, Rigel, Pilot, Maya, Scorpius, Talyn, etc.

(See, I can remember their names even if you can't.)

It's not like we're comparing 2001 to Plan Nine here. Both shows were quality productions with devoted fan bases. Neither show is qualitatively better than the other. Any preferences are mostly a matter of taste.

B-5, at its best, was ambitious and epic and dramatic.
Farscape, at its best, was colorful and irreverent and emotionally gripping.

Personally, I lean toward colorful and irreverent, but, like I said, that's just a matter of taste. I have fond memories of B-5 as well.

That time Delenn turned back the enemy fleet? Great stuff. Just like the time Scorpius cut open Crichton's brain . . . .

(I'm trying to keep my spoilers vague here.)

[kirk55555]

They both seem like great shows, which is why I was having so much trouble deciding which one to get. I'm actually kind of glad I've waited so long before watching them. Its nice to have two good sci-fi shows to eventually watch that are new to me.

[Greg Cox]

kirk55555 wrote:

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They both seem like great shows, which is why I was having so much trouble deciding which one to get. I'm actually kind of glad I've waited so long before watching them. Its nice to have two good sci-fi shows to eventually watch that are new to me.

Honestly, you're in a good position here. It's like trying to choose between a pumpkin pie or a cherry pie. You can't really go wrong either way . . . .

[RoJoHen]

I can't stand cherry pie.

[DWF]

Babylon 5 no doubt about it in my mind, Farscape is too uneven among other things.

[Ian Keldon]

Greg, I get what you are saying, I just don't understand how you could find FS "emotionally gripping" based on what (admittedly little) I saw of it. It just didn't click with me.

On the other hand, I can name at least half a dozen emotionally gripping moments from B5 without even thinking about it.

[RoJoHen]

I find both shows emotionally gripping, but you need to catch the right episodes, and you need to have been watching from the beginning. There are still moments in Farscape that still give me chills, and I've re-watched the show at least a dozen times (and I'm doing it again right now!). B5 is also fantastic; the first time I watched it, I did what the OP is doing. I bought the first season on a whim and blew through it in a week. I have re-watched B5 about 4 or 5 times, and I still think it's excellent. They're just very different animals, and I find myself fortunate that I am able to love them both.

Farscape, however, is my favorite show of all time.

[Greg Cox]

Ian Keldon wrote:

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Greg, I get what you are saying, I just don't understand how you could find FS "emotionally gripping" based on what (admittedly little) I saw of it. It just didn't click with me.

On the other hand, I can name at least half a dozen emotionally gripping moments from B5 without even thinking about it.

Well, for one thing, the love story between Aeryn and Crichton is probably one of the great romances in genre tv history. Plus, you have Crais's painful transition from heavy to tragic hero, Scorpius's ambiguous agendas, lots of heartache and betrayal, a few tragic deaths (which I'm reluctant to reveal too much about), etc. Heck, even the ship had a stormy relationship with her son!

Just look at episodes like "The Way We Weren't" or "Die Die Dichotomy." ("Taking the Stone," on the other hand, should be avoided at all costs.)

As with most serialized dramas, I suspect you have to get to know the characters to really appreciate the ongoing story arcs. Would any of Londo's big moments have any impact if you'd only seen a handful of episodes and didn't really grasp his tragic fall?

"So, some dude with wacky hair was arguing with some big lizard guy about shadows and Vorlons and stuff. I didn't get what the big deal was."

[RoJoHen]

^Agreed 100%. Context is so important.