I think I would have felt that In the Beginning contained too many spoilers if I'd watched it before season one. Nowadays, spoilers don't bother me. If something isn't worth watching more than once, it's usually not worth watching even once.
I bought the series DVD boxes based on its reputation, so I started with "Midnight on the Firing Line." I thought it was a great introduction to the series. I was a little confused by a few bits midway through the series, particularly concerning Lyta, since I had never seen "The Gathering." It did not hinder me in my viewing, though; I treated those parts as backstory that took place before the series. I would only recommend "The Gathering" to those already invested in the series. I did see "In the Beginning" after the rest of the series. It is a great story, but it is best seen during the time it was aired (after Season 3?) or later.
Whre can I watch Bbaylon 5 streaming? Or can I at all? Is it one of those thing HBO Max /WBD is scaling back on??
HBO Max. Be warned, though; as far as I know, there are still audio sync issues beginning with episodes in Season 2 that HBO Max never bothered to fix.
What a crazy coincidence, i also began watching B5 from Season 2. But when i bought Season 1 on DVD i was blown away by how awesome Season 1 was. Psi Corp, Sigma 957, Sinclair ( what an awesome actor), Delenn new look, Jha'dur ( so close to imortality) Babylon 4, Battle of the Line, "Quality of Mercy" and the consequences of it at the end of season 4 and of course the ending of season 1. Also liked the Menu music on Season 1 DVD :
I started somewhat on the cusp of S2/S3. My friends were into the show before I was, so I caught bits and pieces of episodes without really paying much attention. But when I first saw a Shadow ship, I got hooked. Star Trek had nothing like that.
I wouldn't choose to buy the DVDs now that remastered versions are available from Prime and iTunes. They are 4:3 aspect ratio, but that is how I originally watched the series. In addition, the sequences involving CGI aren't badly cropped and scaled to 16:9 like they are on the DVDs. ‘Babylon 5 Remastered’ now available to buy, or stream on HBO Max (engadget.com)
Yep. The iTunes version looks great. I have the DVDs, but the new versions are better. Worth spending a few bucks again.
IIRC, ItB was commissioned by TNT Network to introduce the show's backstory to new viewers on their network, when the show moved there. Season 5 was the first new season to air on TNT, and the film kicked that off. So the film was made after season 4, to be watched before season 5. I think. It's been a while.
Now I recall! You are correct. Both IN THE BEGINNING and THIRDSPACE were commissioned by TNT and were filmed after season 4 wrapped, with the former having your stated purpose and the latter being a side adventure that took place between season 4's "Into The Fire" and "No Surrender, No Retreat". It just hit me because I remember the 'TNT PRESENTS' banner appearing on screen before the titles of both movies.
In the past I've bought two sets of B5 DVDs - one to give away - and I've also purchased the remastered iTunes release. I bought the three trilogies and the other two books that JMS considers canon (or nearly so). However, I'm not quite enough of a fan to buy the script books, encyclopaedia and other such books, though I was daft enough to buy the B5 Security Manual because I spotted it for sale cheap on eBay. Perhaps some day I'll sell it and someone dafter than me will buy it.
I have the original dvds. It's good to hear the remastered versions are worth it if I want to get them.
I'm so used to seeing the series in widescreen that it might be jarring and feel like a worse presentation to see it in 4:3 again even if it's objectively higher quality. Though I'm also not sure I'm motivated enough that I'd want to invest in it (I don't have iTunes or HBO Max).
Some speculation that the B5 reboot might not be dead after all: However, I suspect that this is merely wishful thinking even if The CW were to relinquish rights to WB. It seems to me that WB are in such a financial pickle that they wouldn't consider that B5 on HBO Max could help save them. I suspect they'll go for cheaper shows that they think will attract viewers/subscribers.
Anybody else remember the painfully awful promos TNT shot for B5? Especially the football-oriented "planet of the cheese-heads" one? Made me wanna cry.
My first exposure to the show was copies of VHS tapes my sister sent me after she recorded the entire run off of TNT, since I got into the show just as it switched to cable. So I've got a lot of those commercials stuck in my head. I did kind of like the character promos with G'Kar and Ivanova, and someday I should probably "remaster" the Keith David trailer. But, yeah, the ones where the TNT sports commentators or whoever they were popped on to the sets during the closing credits to toss to the next show were very cheesy.
Warner Bros. couldn't even be bothered to fix the audio sync issues for B5 on HBO Max; there's not a chance in **** that they'd finance and produce a completely brand-new new B5 show.