Four episode into Season 3 now and am absolutely loving it.
Babylon 5
- Thread starter Kail
- Start date
There you have it - a spectrum of opinion
As I recall, you essentially asked the same question about B5 and that's turned out pretty well.
@Jan, I don't see how the triluminaries could have possibly come from Epsilon 3 - unless you're suggesting that...
Zathras brought them up from Ep3 then gave them to Sinclair once they were on Babylon 4?
But if that's true, why would Zathras have done that? He couldn't possibly have known what would eventually happen to him and Sinclair, could he? Then why did he bring them?
But if that's true, why would Zathras have done that? He couldn't possibly have known what would eventually happen to him and Sinclair, could he? Then why did he bring them?
Presumably that's exactly the case. JMS said:
JMS said:
http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-10312
As for HOW Draal might have known to send them up with Zathras, that was never revealed.
Watch and find out. Farscape is one of my favorite shows ever, but I understand it probably isn't for everyone. Don't want to exceed expectations afterall.
I describe Farscape as a Star Trek series that seems like it was written by stoners. It has some very weak episodes, primarily in the first half of the first season but it is very powerful.
I'd say Farscape is more like Buck Rogers than Trek.
It's basic premise is, but it seems to delight in taking Trek tropes and turning them on their head.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. In fact, I'd call Farscape a cross between Buck Rogers and Voyager.
Season 5 has a bit of a slow start but it is definitely worth watching and has some of the show's finest moments, even before that final three episodes.
Yes, Jan and others can elaborate better, but it was feared the series would end with 4 so a lot is tied up that would have gone over into the 5th season. That makes the first third or so of 5 seem a bit directionless compared to the previous 4 seasons. However, there is plenty of good stuff after the hair. Very well worth watching. Claudia is replaced with a new character, Capt Lockley, who I enjoyed.
Yes, very much so. BUT, there's a much different feel from what you got used to in three and four.
As stated, quite a few storylines were tied up in season four because the PTEN network no longer existed so JMS was told that there would be no season five (No maybe about it. How many TV series survive longer than their networks?). So he set aside any stand-alone episodes and condensed a few threads (but not very much, really), realized that one would have to be left incomplete and filmed 'Sleeping in Light' so that there would still be a proper ending.
Then TNT came to the rescue. So JMS pulled out those threads that he'd set aside but he had to build up momentum again, as he'd had to in seasons one and two. And he brought back those stand-alone episodes (some of my favorites, to be honest) and he was able to bring one huge story arc to a satisfactory conclusion. Oh, and he wrote 'Deconstruction of Falling Stars' to replace 'Sleeping in Light' as the last episode of season four.
Yes, Claudia did quit and isn't in the fifth season. She's replaced by Captain Lochley, a very different character.
Try not to pre-judge season five. It's different but still really, really good - IMO.
Yeah, there are some elements of Season 5 that are "meh", but there's an uptick in overall quality as the season progresses. While most stories are wrapped, there are one or two that are not, and we're left with the realization that we've only been looking through a window to that world, and that that world will continue to go on even when the window is closed to us.
But enough about things to come, let's keep focused on the present as it unfolds.
But enough about things to come, let's keep focused on the present as it unfolds.
The first time I watched Season 5, it bothered me... because it seemed to close the series on more whimper than bang compared to Season 4. But in subsequent viewings my opinion of S5 has increased considerably. It's a more mature ending. And Londo's story especially is not complete without it.
So no, it's not tacked on. But a confluence of events did lead to the first half of S5 being the most hit-and-miss since Season 1. The acceleration of certain plotlines in S4, the unexpected loss of Claudia (there's a character introduced who would have worked much better with Ivanova around), a tighter shooting schedule, and hotel staff throwing out all of JMS' notes! You can kind of feel everyone burnt out a little. But it improves. Don't skip it.
But first things first: Season 4! It's intense! For a long time it was my favorite season by far... though these days I think I prefer the more deliberate pace of Season 3. But S4 is still definitely the height of the show's production values. Some really ambitious stuff!
So no, it's not tacked on. But a confluence of events did lead to the first half of S5 being the most hit-and-miss since Season 1. The acceleration of certain plotlines in S4, the unexpected loss of Claudia (there's a character introduced who would have worked much better with Ivanova around), a tighter shooting schedule, and hotel staff throwing out all of JMS' notes! You can kind of feel everyone burnt out a little. But it improves. Don't skip it.
But first things first: Season 4! It's intense! For a long time it was my favorite season by far... though these days I think I prefer the more deliberate pace of Season 3. But S4 is still definitely the height of the show's production values. Some really ambitious stuff!
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I thought season 5 was very good. B5 would have been left with a very anti-climactic feel, "Sleeping In Light" notwithstanding, without it.
As for Farscape, I watched the first half dozen episodes or so and couldn't get into it. On paper, it sounds like exactly the kind of show I'd like (I was especially looking forward to the use of Muppet technology to create some really alien aliens), but in practice it didn't work. There wasn't a single character that appealed to me at all.
As for Farscape, I watched the first half dozen episodes or so and couldn't get into it. On paper, it sounds like exactly the kind of show I'd like (I was especially looking forward to the use of Muppet technology to create some really alien aliens), but in practice it didn't work. There wasn't a single character that appealed to me at all.
I would suggest skipping ahead to the PK Tech Girl (not sure if I got that right) episode and watch from there to see if your opinion changes.
Yes. Absolutely watch season 5. It is by no means "tacked on".
The background to this is that they were told in no uncertain terms by the network (?) that the fourth season would be their last, forcing JMS to compress season 4 a little by having . I think all it amounted to is cutting a few episodes worth of arc out of one plot (which is why it feels a little rushed given it's significance) and having the season end on a more definite note rather than the cliffhanger that was envisioned.
The upshot of that is that the entirety of season four feels like the intense rollercoaster that season 3 did from ("Messages from Earth") to ("Z'ha'dum"). The downside is that when TNT swooped in at the 11th hour to rescue the show, it left season 5 with a paucity of momentum and takes quite a while to get going...but when it gets going....it gets *going*. But yeah, the first half of the season feels like the start of a whole new show in some ways.
The situation is thrice complicated by the aforementioned pacing issue, the unexpected departure of Claudia Christian (I forget the ins and outs of this, but frankly, I don't care. Bottom line: probably money) requiring the introduction of a new character and JMS's notes on season 5 being "lost" by some hotel staff during a convention (also where he found out about Claudia IIRC) and having to recreate them all from memory.
I think this is also about when Doug Netter (the other executive producer besides JMS) decided to fire the effects company that's been with them the whole time (who were instantly hired by Star Trek for the final seasons of DS9 & Voyager), poach a few junior team members and start his own in-house company to do it all on the cheap.
I think you can see why season 5 is by far the most contentious among the fans as it's tied up in what was quite a scandal at the time. What matters though is the final product and that is some of the best episodes the show has ever produced, definitely the best Londo & G'Kar scenes (plural!) bar none and one of the best final episodes of any TV show ever.
So no, don't skip it.
As for everyone else in this thread, I'd urge you NOT to start up the old discussions about mopy people and silly haircuts and let Kail go in with an open mind without our hangup imposing on his experience.
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