I liked DS9 and the Dominion War, would I like Babylon 5?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Dream, Sep 13, 2012.

  1. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Many have done it, but, we can never have too many "First Time Watch" threads (Unless you express views different from my own ;) )

    I vote YES, Absofraggin'lutely

    I paid about $80 a Season for my copies about 5 years back
     
  2. lurok

    lurok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I like DS9 and tried B5 on recommendation of others but really couldn't stomach more than first few episodes. But I might try again one day when have time and patience.
     
  3. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    If Bab 5 had as big a fandom as Trek with active forums and stuff I probably wouldn't even be here. It's a wonderful series. I also bought all of it on dvd and I treasure it.
     
  4. DonIago

    DonIago Vice Admiral Admiral

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    If I'd started B5 from the beginning I don't think I would have stuck with it. My advice to the folks having problems with it is to try watching it from season two forward. You can always backtrack if you end up curious about what you missed.

    Specifically, I got into B5 because I had friends who were hooked on it and would watch it while I did other things. It wasn't until I saw a Shadow ship on the screen that I got interested. "What the hell is that?" and all.
     
  5. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

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    Sort of like opening a novel and putting it down after the first three pages. Yes, it really should grab you right off, and B5 is a bit weak in that area; but you can't claim to actually know anything about the book when you've seen little more than the setting of the scene.
     
  6. pimp

    pimp Commander Red Shirt

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    Just give B5 a chance. Go through season one as best as you can then enjoy the epic arc story that spans many seasons. I mean if you watch the pilot episode (the gathering) you will then later realise that even this had a significant link to the whole series.

    I only envy you right now seen as you will watch B5 for the first time :)
     
  7. Distorted Humor

    Distorted Humor Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    babylon 5 has some weaknesses, there is some bad acting, sometimes you can tell it was on a limited budget, and some of the special effects look very dated (it was the first major series to depend on CGI, so you see CGI grow as the seasons go on) but after saying that

    the aliens are aliens
    the story arc from seasons 2-4 is quite a ride
    It has aged better then it should of.
     
  8. Jan

    Jan Commodore Commodore

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    I've never been able to decide which was better, watching it as it was broadcast the first time or watching it the second time when it was 'stripped' on TNT and I could watch one per day and see all the foreshadowing better. Either way, I'm with you on the envy field.

    Jan
     
  9. OmahaStar

    OmahaStar Disrespectful of his betters Admiral

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    What he said.
     
  10. StarMan

    StarMan Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I love both shows. Thinking back though, I don't know if I would've gotten into either if I had watched from the beginning. Both series I discovered in season 3 when their respective arcs were heating up. It was then - intrigued by the goings on of the mid/later years - that I went back to the beginning.
     
  11. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    But if you skip season one you miss Sinclair who besides being an interesting and different character has arc importance in later seasons.
     
  12. DonIago

    DonIago Vice Admiral Admiral

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    But you can always swing around and catch him later, and it's a matter of record that some people find his performance off-putting, whether or not the performance presented is what was intended.

    As I noted earlier, if I'd been "forced" to watch B5 in order I might well have given up on it.
     
  13. PlainSimpleJoel

    PlainSimpleJoel Fleet Admiral Premium Member

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    Nice to see you now have the DVDs. It's one of the shows I want to get on DVD at some stage. Around 6 years, I was never a fan of Babylon 5, but brought a video copy of a 2 part episode from season 1 on video one night. Watched it and was impressed.

    Anyways when I moved to Newcastle a few years ago, borrowed the DVDs from the library a few times. Haven't watched the show in a while. It's something I want to watch again. Sadly I won't have the time before I see some B5 folks at an upcoming convention.

    Enjoy the DVDs Dream.
     
  14. pimp

    pimp Commander Red Shirt

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    Yes agree with on that very mush so. I mean season 1 episode 2 has a big important link to Sinclair later on. When the soul hunter says something along the lines of "they are using you, don't you see that??"
     
  15. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    I think the core season 1 episodes are :

    The Parliament of Dreams
    Mind War
    And The Sky Full of Stars
    Signs and Portents
    A Voice in the Wilderness
    Babylon Squared
    Chrysalis