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Babylon 5

But In the Beginning gives away the big secret of season 1! And takes place after season 3's War Without End.

If it's a choice between somebody watching or not, I say give them ItB. Face it, nobody anymore will get the same experience those of us who watched it back in the day had. Waiting weeks and weeks, communicating with JMS about each episode... Those were the days! ;)
http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=11374053&postcount=77

According to the definitive list I posted previously (link above), which is based upon JMS's preferences, In The Beginning should be watched after all other B5 episodes and movies, except two episodes - thusly:

(Everything else...)
In the Beginning (TNT TV Movie)
Sleeping in Light (Season Five concluded)
The Deconstruction of Falling Stars (Season Four concluded)

While I myself prefer watching things as they aired, (ItB airing between S4 and S5) to preserve that mystery Jan speaks of, the order can work differently under different conditions. Take this for example from THe Lurker's Guide:
The Master Episode List as a good starting point. for what should be viewed when.

Additionally, jms did say on the commentary page for "In the Beginning" that
Will ItB spoil some of season one's mysteries?

That's an interesting question. When I sat down to write In the Beginning, my feeling was that I should look at the long term. Would the hole in Sinclair's mind be the same mystery it was in season one, or would it be kind of known thereafter? If so, then do you want to play with the mystery, or set up what actually happened? I figured, okay, let's go for the latter...let's let the audience know (which will mostly know by now anyway), and set up the background, with the characters not knowing the first season. I took basic greek tragedy as my model, with ItB functioning more or less as a Greek chorus that sets things up.

If you want to play it as a strict mystery, then no, probably don't go near ItB...but frankly, if I were going to start someone off on B5, I'd definitely want to start with ItB, which sort of skims in and out of the overall storyline in a beautiful fashion.

Bottom line: "The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5" is one of the very best resources out there for most thigns B5.
 
I'm a few more episodes in, and it all seems to be getting better. The dialog, the acting, the over all look of the series has also improved. Liking it more and more.
 
I'm a few more episodes in, and it all seems to be getting better. The dialog, the acting, the over all look of the series has also improved. Liking it more and more.

If you're still watching by 'Chrysalis', you're in it for the long haul. ;)
 
Since when was Babylon 5 not on Netflix? Any legal way to watch it now without buying the DVDs? I've seen every episode except the second to last but I never saw In The Beginning and I wanted to start with that this time.
 
ITunes charges more than I could get the DVDs for, and last time I tried to watch a show on YouTube it was Monk, they were mostly at faster framerates so all the voices sounded higher pitched, and they only played in a tiny portion of the screen. Maybe I'll see if I can get a ridiculously cheapo deal on DVDs.
 
We should care about legal because we definitely want the writers and actors, and maybe the producers to continue to get paid royalties as we enjoy the product they lovingly made.

But do we really give a shit about Warner Brothers after what they did to Season 5 and how they cancelled Crusade and aborted Legends of the Rangers?

More so, because these actors and writers and producers had their contracts written for them before the invention of streaming media (and whatever happens to be next) are any of our friends even compensated for sales of Babylon 5 on Itunes and other web platforms like Netflix?
 
I suppose nobody my age or younger would think 'Respect for the law' could possibly be a motivation of mine. :) But also, illegal channels to get it involve shady websites that may or may not be safe to download from, and what you get is probably not high quality.
 
We should care about legal because we definitely want the writers and actors, and maybe the producers to continue to get paid royalties as we enjoy the product they lovingly made.

100% agreed.

But do we really give a shit about Warner Brothers after what they did to Season 5 and how they cancelled Crusade and aborted Legends of the Rangers?
You're confused. Season 5 was made under the same conditions as the previous four. The difference was that it was on TNT which caused a different residual schedule. TNT didn't meddle with season 5. Season 5's unevenness was due to Claudia leaving the show and the loss of JMS' notes at a con in the UK. TNT and not WB was also responsible for the meddling and cancellation of Crusade. Legend of the Rangers was a casualty of the ratings when it was aired opposite a major football game as well as the fact that SyFi wanted to own part of the series had it happened.

More so, because these actors and writers and producers had their contracts written for them before the invention of streaming media (and whatever happens to be next) are any of our friends even compensated for sales of Babylon 5 on Itunes and other web platforms like Netflix?
Don't know but there's a good possibility. Contracts have been written with 'current or future technology' clauses for quite a while now.

As for streaming, please feel free to join the Free Babylon 5 campaign to ask WB to make the show available as well as asking TV stations to ask for the show.

Jan
 
I remember the Original Star Trek actors complaining that they got screwed over for not getting a cut of home video sales, and that later contractually dvd sales are seen as video sales, but even them the percentages were wrong because of the difference with how videos were sold in the 80s to how DVDs were sold in the norties.

This was a reason behind one of those pesky strikes a while back.

Netflix streaming seems more like syndication than the sale of physical items but... Meh?

Nope. Still don't care about hurting Warner Brothers feelings, because I know deep down that they are always doing evil #### to someone somewhere somehow.
 
Since when was Babylon 5 not on Netflix? Any legal way to watch it now without buying the DVDs? I've seen every episode except the second to last but I never saw In The Beginning and I wanted to start with that this time.
Do you do DVD/Blu-Ray rentals from Netflix? They have all of the seasons of B5, all of the movies, and all of Crusade on DVD.
 
Since when was Babylon 5 not on Netflix? Any legal way to watch it now without buying the DVDs? I've seen every episode except the second to last but I never saw In The Beginning and I wanted to start with that this time.
Do you do DVD/Blu-Ray rentals from Netflix? They have all of the seasons of B5, all of the movies, and all of Crusade on DVD.

Not for long TV series. Too slow, impossible to get momentum.

I find the whole justification of "Screw the rich big wigs" as very self serving logic. It has nothing to do with who deserves to profit or who did the work and everything to do with entitling yourself to something for nothing.

Illegally downloading things isn't the worst thing in the world, but at least admit you're just taking something for free because you can and don't try to take credit for "Sticking it to the man".
 
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You didn't know that immediately.

So much Kool-Aid.

Although, that the entire "movie" was based on the idea that Ranger philosophy is stupid and human cowardice is better, was odd.

Speaking of odd.

From the list of characters in the movie...

David Martell

Sarah Cantrell

Firell

Sindell

(And almost but not quite)

Na'Feel
 
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