A Niner Watches Babylon 5 (NO spoilers, please)

[Pemmer Harge]

I saw the version of The Gathering with the cheesy guitar music, was that the original one?

[Hyperspace05]

TheGodBen, as a long-time B5 fan I am very interested in reading your viewpoint of the series, no matter what you will think of it.

It will be an interesting read, just like Tomalak's excellent thread was last year.

[megaphone]BUT EVERYONE, PLEASE WATCH THE SPOILERS. NO NEED TO DISCUSS ANYTHING BEYOND WHAT HE IS REVIEWING.[/megaphone]

[Hyperspace05]

Pemmer Harge wrote:

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I saw the version of The Gathering with the cheesy guitar music, was that the original one?

Yep, sounds like it.

[Skywalker]

RoJoHen wrote:

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It's always so silly to me how people proclaim these sorts of things so matter-of-factly.

Well, they are wrong. Farscape is the greatest sci-fi show of all time.

Looking forward to the reviews, Ben. Speaking of Farscape, maybe after B5 and DS9 you could check that out? If you haven't seen it, I think you'll like it.

[Seven of Five]

Yeah. The edited version had a new Christopher Franke score.

[Neroon]

Hyperspace05 wrote:

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Yep, sounds like it.

Stewart Copeland of The Police fame scored that one. The second version of "The Gathering" was commissioned by TNT, and put back in some footage that had been edited out. My feeling is the completist needs to see both versions to get a proper feel for the movie.

[RoJoHen]

Skywalker wrote:

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Well, they are wrong. Farscape is the greatest sci-fi show of all time.

I will concede this point.

[Reverend]

Great Mambo Chicken wrote:

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Great maker, you may be correct. Perhaps I automatically close my eyes when the gorilla makes an appearance, or maybe he was onscreen for longer in the original version. Otherwise, I'll just pretend he was in transit from David Brin's uplift universe.

Oh he's defiantly still their in a few background shots, though they've clearly tried to edit around him as much as possible.
Exactly how much control or oversight did JMS have at this point? Though I realise B5 was still very much a work in progress at that point, I can't see how some of the sillier elements would have got past him.

[BorgPhil]

I might try and watch this alongside you, I'm a massive B5 (and DS9) fan, and have needed an excuse to watch it again.

I always thought that DS9 was the better series overall, but B5 at its peak was outstanding, DS9 couldn't match that.

Both excellent series though.

[Jan]

Reverend wrote:

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Exactly how much control or oversight did JMS have at this point? Though I realise B5 was still very much a work in progress at that point, I can't see how some of the sillier elements would have got past him.

I'm pretty sure he had full control but The Gathering was his first shot as Exec. Producer and his first time responsible for editing the final cut of the movie and his tendency to defer to more experienced people shows.

Jan

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Lindley wrote:

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The idea was that if they spent the time to show what "normal" was, then it would be more effective when they turned everything on its head.

It doesn't matter what the idea was - to do it that way would be a thorough waste of time and resources. Every episode should be the very best on its own that it can be.

In fact it's not my impression that the series comes together that way at all - the first year is some of the best stuff IMAO - so it's a moot point to me.

middyseafort wrote:

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As much as I love the entirety of season three when all that "triggers get pulled," I prefer the first two seasons because of the variety and creativity...

Yep. Seasons one and two are the most interesting. Overall, though, the series is a great mediocrity and an example of failed potential. This is why despite a dedicated core fan base that keeps the memory of the show alive the audience for it has never grown substantially - there's not a lot of "there," there.

[Neroon]

I couldn't disagree more about the reasons for the series' success. Certainly B5 hasn't had the notoriety of BSG, but then it never had the corporate backing that show or TNG as another example ever did. Personally, I felt the series accomplished its goals for the most and did so well. Along with that there were certainly shortcomings and missed marks; that can't be denied.

Your opinion is certainly valid and I respect your qualifications, but I see it as being in the minority as to which seasons are the best. At least based upon my encounters at various conventions and computer bulletin boards. To call the series a mediocrity depends much upon subjective material. In the end the series is not so widely know, but that hardly means it is mediocre.

[Orac Zen]

apenpaap wrote:

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They are wrong.

Your opinion being so much more authoritative and correct than theirs, presumably?




This could be amusing. Sometimes these types of threads devolve into idiotic "I know better than you" / "you're wrong" / "if you (dis)like this you're an imbecile" gibberish (as we've already seen), and I end up avoiding them. Here's hoping this one won't go down that track.

[stonester1]

Neroon wrote:

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I couldn't disagree more about the reasons for the series' success. Certainly B5 hasn't had the notoriety of BSG, but then it never had the corporate backing that show or TNG as another example ever did. Personally, I felt the series accomplished its goals for the most and did so well. Along with that there were certainly shortcomings and missed marks; that can't be denied.

Your opinion is certainly valid and I respect your qualifications, but I see it as being in the minority as to which seasons are the best. At least based upon my encounters at various conventions and computer bulletin boards. To call the series a mediocrity depends much upon subjective material. In the end the series is not so widely know, but that hardly means it is mediocre.

Indeed. IMO, it's a landmark in science fiction, especially TV science fiction, and it's one of the shows that pioneered it's use of the "arc" or "novel" form.

A new Babbler! Aww...cute...looking forward to his exploration!

Jealous, too. B5 is one of those shows that, if it's your kind of show, AMAZES the first time through.

And that media centric ep you mentioned, B5 had two of them. Both were favs of mine.

[Gep Malakai]

As someone who also has never watched B5, I'll be following this thread intently as well, so I'll finally know what the hell everybody is talking about.