Babylon 5: 20 years later

[RomulanCommander]

This must be the episode you are talking about:
http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/End_of_the_Line
Poor Bill Lumburg, er I mean Captain Gideon.

Crusade felt more like a continuation of Babylon 5, just minus the original cast, than a spin off. We never did see what happened to the Shadow technology once Sheridan liberated Earth, and would have been interesting to follow that up. Also, I think they could have covered the events of the Telepath War. If I recall correctly, in one of the first Crusade episodes, I think there was a throw away line about new telepath rules and a telepath conflict. Would have been a great way for Lita Alexander, Bester, and maybe even Lennier to appear. I remember reading once that JMS was asked what happened to Lennier and Lita, and he said it was a sad story he would have to tell sometime, and implied it had to do with a battle at the Psi Corps headquarters.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Yeah, I think the review they link to is what I read some time ago:

http://worldsofjms.com/crusade/reviews/script3.htm

 

[Forbin]

This popped up on facebook just now:

 

[RandyS]

That picture looks photoshoped.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

^^No that is one of the cafés on the station, you can quite clearly see the vid wall screens behind them showing a nice day on earth vid for the customers.

 

[Forbin]

That picture looks photoshoped.

 

[RandyS]

You don't think so? The light hitting Tallman is different that the lights on Andrea or Claudia. Claudia looks like the only one of the three that is actually there.

 

[Farscape One]

B5 was one of the best scifi series I have seen. A large part of it is due to the overall srorytelling and world building that JMS did.

One of the most impressive things about the series is how he created a "trap door", as he called it, for every single character. Not only does it show his remarkable ability at giving everyone a good story, but also a good understanding of the show business where an actor, at any time, can be gone for good. Few showrunners, from what I can tell, have shown that kind of knack for using the realities of the business to the advantage of the story they are telling.

 

[tomswift2002]

I'm up to Season 4, and I must say, I'm not sure whether I want to rewatch Season 5, except for Sleeping In The Light, as 5 feels more like an epilogue to the series, as most of the episodes play more like filler than as part of any continuing story arc. Season 4 pretty much finishes the series while Season 5 felt like it was trying to set something up, but didn't really succeed. It would've been nice if Season 5 had gone into the telepath civil war. Sure advance the story by a few years, but get to the Telepath War.

 

[Seven of Five]

You could probably skip most of the telepath stuff if it helps move things along. I never do when I rewatch, but I usually find other things during that arc that keep me going.

Despite some iffy dialogue, acting and SFX (all understandable with it being done on the cheap), I still love the series. I can't remember how many times I've watched I now, but I'm always swept away by the story and characters.

 

[Captain Shaw]

I've just started season 1, I think because thye used CGI instead of models it's not dated as well as some other shows.

 

[Jedman67]

I've just started season 1, I think because thye used CGI instead of models it's not dated as well as some other shows.

The CGI was extremely low-res by modern standards. Even DS9's cg doesn't look so bad - its part of the charm, sure but B5 is probably also ripe for a reboot.

 

[Jan]

I agree with Teacake in that Babylon 5 is pretty much perfect, but I think it did have significant truncation. With Michael O'Hare's departure, that radically altered the reveal about who he becomes, which was supposed to happen at the end of the series.

I'm afraid that's an urban legend. In the arc memo that JMS published in the B5 script books (written between the pilot and the start of filming the first season), B4 was actually supposed to go to the *future* to be used in a re-ignited Minbari war. There was no mention of Valen at all and at the very end (it was actually an outline of two series - Babylon 5 and Babylon Prime), the final shot would be of Sinclair on an otherwise deserted world sitting by a lake fishing. Which kinda makes the adjustments JMS had to make even more impressive, IMO.

As for not wanting to watch season 5? What some here are calling 'filler', to me are some really impressive off-format episodes. Plus it has the end of the Londo/G'kar arc.

 

[Forbin]

I've just started season 1, I think because thye used CGI instead of models it's not dated as well as some other shows.

But like I always point out, they were the trailblazers. LightWave and the Video Toaster were developed by NewTec hand-in-hand with the B5 effects crew while making the pilot movie. B5 showed everybody else that you could do affordable TV-budget CGI effects. And yes, they DO get better and better as the show goes on.

 

[DrCorby]

As for not wanting to watch season 5? What some here are calling 'filler', to me are some really impressive off-format episodes. Plus it has the end of the Londo/G'kar arc.

Plus, one of my favorite episodes, "Day of the Dead". There were some long-delayed pay-offs for some characters (Garibaldi & Dodger, Londo & Adira), plus the unexpected visitation that Lannier received. And some interesting backstory on Lochley. The appearance of Penn and Teller was OK, but not the highlight for me. It would have been a good ep in any season, and even moreso in season 5.

 

[Forbin]

Even if I hadn't known Neil Gaiman wrote that episode, I would have guessed it when the suicidal teenage girl showed up.

 

[Mage]

Even if I hadn't known Neil Gaiman wrote that episode, I would have guessed it when the suicidal teenage girl showed up.

I did not know that!

As for my point of view on B5...

When a show has the kind of flaws that B5 has, and can still be considered by so many to be an amazing show to this day, while recognizing those flaws as well..... That says something I think.

Me, I've watched the whole show front to back several times already, got my girlfriend hooked and she's seen it twice now. I can still make her cry simply by saying 'it's a nice sunday for a drive'.

 

[Forbin]

Oh God - after my Dad passed, Mom mentioned how she's going to miss having coffee together in the morning and watching the sunrise. Now I can't watch THAT scene without choking up!

 

[tomswift2002]

But like I always point out, they were the trailblazers. LightWave and the Video Toaster were developed by NewTec hand-in-hand with the B5 effects crew while making the pilot movie. B5 showed everybody else that you could do affordable TV-budget CGI effects. And yes, they DO get better and better as the show goes on.

Yeah the CGI does get better, however, the currently widescreen masters make all the CGI look bad. Even VHS copies of the show have better CGI than the DVD's, as the CGI hasn't been cropped to 4:3.

 

[Forbin]

I thought the CGI WAS shot 4:3, and the live action was shot 16:9.