Watching Babylon 5 for the first time... *Spoilers, duh*

[Brian]

It's most definitely four.

Or three.

 

[JoeD80]

Not sure how I feel about the whole 'Jack the Ripper' angle; it just feels like something I'd say in Star Trek: The Next Generation and not Babylon 5. I guess I was proven wrong, though, eh?

Joe got a bit of flack for that back in the day, but he did have reasons for using him beyond the gimmick factor. He wanted the inquisitor character to be a) someone in need of redemption (doing the wrong thing for the right reasons in contrast to Delenn's situation); b) someone recognizable to most of the audience from history; and c) someone who had seemed to disappear for unknown reasons so the Vorlon kidnapping angle would work.

I'd long since decided it was going to be Bester arriving at the station and I don't even know why. I guess despite the senselessness of the idea I'd just gotten used to Walter Koenig being a cunning bastard and doing cunning bastard things.

Don't worry, Bester will be back!

 

[Neroon]

And since Walter Koenig appeared in B5 and Trek, you get the..... wait for it... Bester of both worlds.

 

[Reverend]

I always seem to hear two responses to inquiries of best season.

"Three."

and

"Four."

I think I've seen other responses, what, four times max since the first days of my internet browsing.

I think I should point out that unlike most other shows though, seasons 3 & 4 are the strongest by design, nit because it just took them that long to figure out what the hell they're doing (like, say, TNG.) As JMS has often said, B5 is structured like a novel in five volumes (introduction, rising action, complication, climax & denouement), with each season acting as a single volume.

The first season is obviously the introduction with all the world building and stage setting. The second season as you've just seen is about ramping things up (mostly the Narn-Centauri conflict and the real machinations behind it.)

So as one might guess seasons 3 & 4 as the complication & climax, respectively, are where the real meat of the story has to be. But without all that came before it, it'd all be meaningless without the foundation on which it is built.

And since Walter Koenig appeared in B5 and Trek, you get the..... wait for it... Bester of both worlds.

*WHACK*

 

[Jan]

And since Walter Koenig appeared in B5 and Trek, you get the..... wait for it... Bester of both worlds.

Somebody get me a PPG!

ETA: And then there's me who thinks the whole thing is the best. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Jan

 

[label]

And since Walter Koenig appeared in B5 and Trek, you get the..... wait for it... Bester of both worlds.

Oh good lord that was bad. Consider this a Citizen's Warning for excessively corny humour.

 

[Neroon]

And since Walter Koenig appeared in B5 and Trek, you get the..... wait for it... Bester of both worlds.

Oh good lord that was bad. Consider this a Citizen's Warning for excessively corny humour.

Consider this to be one of those days where you're glad you don't have to think the way I do......

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Hey, look, it's Ivanova's narration in technicolor. Wow, the music really changed this year. I'm not a big fan of the stiller images of the characters compared with season two's more dynamic stuff but the season is young; it will no doubt grow on me. The narration and the music are incredible, though.

I actually liked the opening of season three the best. We got to look at the cast and money shots of the station. As for main themes, I like the one from season 4 the best, as it goes back to the (by now iconic) theme from the first two seasons while amping it up towards a dramatic climax. Season 3's main theme is simply the "dark theme", but that works for this season.

So anyway, two big things to talk about with this one. Number one: Marcus. Boy, he looks like the love child between Aragorn and Legolas and he seems poised to be Aragorn. He even treats in a bar, appearing as an enigma to young adventurers. Okay, so the bar scene happens all over the place in fiction and, okay, Delenn isn't really a 'young adventurer', but Lennier definitely has some hobbit-like tendencies so dammit, my point stands.

He's cool, though. I like him a lot so far.

Believe me, he's not Aragorn, he's not Legolas, and he's not something in between. He's way more fun than that.

ETA: And then there's me who thinks the whole thing is the best. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Jan

Quoted for truth!

 

[Neroon]

That sounds oddly enticing, but does it have footage from any episodes beyond where I'm at now? Or is it one of those completely fan-rendered things? If it's the latter I'll click now; if it's the former, I'll click later.

It's all fan-rendered. I suppose the only spoilerish thing in it is the inclusion of a ship from the B5 spin-off series Crusade, but since it has nothing to do with the main series, I wouldn't fret it.

Those are very nice! Interesting that Part 2 features score from "Gladiator"....

.... which is the only soundtrack in my personal favorite of these fan vids. I THINK: but am not sure that this one predates those others. Doesn't matter, they're both excellent fun!
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyqwODmcPnE[/yt]

ETA: And then there's me who thinks the whole thing is the best. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Jan

Hey, Jan! What do you think his reaction will be when he gets to see our two favorite videos.... which can't be seen until he's done with the whole show?

 

[Sykonee]

Those are very nice! Interesting that Part 2 features score from "Gladiator"....

.... which is the only soundtrack in my personal favorite of these fan vids. I THINK: but am not sure that this one predates those others. Doesn't matter, they're both excellent fun!

Hah, never saw that one before. It looks older than the other one tho'. The models don't have quite the same textures, don't move as fluidly, and the explosions aren't as detailed. (note: they were both done by the same group, SpaceBattles.com.)

Plus, it now makes sense why Starfleet would launch an attack on B5!

 

[Sephiroth]

Neroon, you have been fined 5 credits for a breach of the verbal morality statutes

 

[Neroon]

Neroon, you have been fined 5 credits for a breach of the verbal morality statutes

Which can be redeemed by virtue of having to mod this forum.

Hah, never saw that one before. It looks older than the other one tho'. The models don't have quite the same textures, don't move as fluidly, and the explosions aren't as detailed. (note: they were both done by the same group, SpaceBattles.com.)

I thought so, for all of the reasons you've cited.

Plus, it now makes sense why Starfleet would launch an attack on B5!

Of course... because they didn't know any better.

 

[Reverend]

Bloody hell, are they still making those Trek vs. B5 videos?! I remember seeing a few of the very early ones back when B5 was still on the air!

 

[Mr Light]

Holy crap you guys, I had never seen that Star Trek vs. Babylon 5 The Final Fight before! That was absolutely amazing! It actually looked as good as the TV shows! Some fans made that? That's incredible! I was completely geeking out the entire way through! So cool!

I wonder why the Star Trek guys were such assholes, though. They invade another dimension, systematically wipe out the defending fleet, and massacre the millions of people living on an innocent defenseless space station? Jerks

Of course in reality it should have been a completely one-sided fight. The Federation has SHIELDS. The B5ers do not. So basically B5 gets off one salvo which splashes off their shields harmlessly, then the Federation does it slice and dice. The EAF Destroyers should have been toast in seconds. The White Stars would last longer since they're hard to hit, and the ablative armor of the Excalibur should have been it immune to phaser fire but weak against physical impact (which they correctly showed doing it in).

 

[Neroon]

Maybe.... but the B5 ships have better writers.

So getting back to the topic at hand........

 

[Bishop76]

^ It's a fact.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

And since Walter Koenig appeared in B5 and Trek, you get the..... wait for it... Bester of both worlds.

I don't care what everyone else said, that was awesome!

Hey, look, it's Ivanova's narration in technicolor. Wow, the music really changed this year. I'm not a big fan of the stiller images of the characters compared with season two's more dynamic stuff but the season is young; it will no doubt grow on me. The narration and the music are incredible, though.

I actually liked the opening of season three the best. We got to look at the cast and money shots of the station. As for main themes, I like the one from season 4 the best, as it goes back to the (by now iconic) theme from the first two seasons while amping it up towards a dramatic climax. Season 3's main theme is simply the "dark theme", but that works for this season.

Oh, so it goes back to the original version with a third arrangement. Very cool.

Yeah well, that "dark theme" is really starting to grow on me. I haven't watched the next episode yet but I rewatched the opening credits from the first episode just now and I'm starting to really dig this.

So anyway, two big things to talk about with this one. Number one: Marcus. Boy, he looks like the love child between Aragorn and Legolas and he seems poised to be Aragorn. He even treats in a bar, appearing as an enigma to young adventurers. Okay, so the bar scene happens all over the place in fiction and, okay, Delenn isn't really a 'young adventurer', but Lennier definitely has some hobbit-like tendencies so dammit, my point stands.

He's cool, though. I like him a lot so far.

Believe me, he's not Aragorn, he's not Legolas, and he's not something in between. He's way more fun than that.[/QUOTE]

Exciting!

So re: those fan videos... The Final Battle was really awesome. The rest are cool too but that one really floored me.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Watched a few more...

"Conviction" was nifty for the most part, although it's made me fully aware of what I've begun perceiving as something of a trend with many standalone episodes in this show. Plenty of cool character moments will propel them to a more than passable status but the plot itself won't do a whole lot for me. That's not to say I loathed it or anything; I've seen a thousand shades worse than this. It just wasn't nearly so impressive as the character bits.

Londo's monologue while Lennier was in medlab was sweet. Here is a man who is constantly shown in opposing lights and I totally get why. Not an enigma in the traditional sense, Mollari has becoming something of one anyway because as he grips with the just path and the dark one we're seeing both aspects in action. We're seeing the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm digging that.

Nothing in this episode was nearly so flat-out awesome as the elevator scenes between Londo and G'Kar, though. (More in a sec; posting on PS3 browser)

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Katsulas' acting has become such that, and his character's plight has become such that, I actually found myself smirking crazily right alongside him as he spoke his mad dialogue. Although I would have soon snapped out of it and realized JMS had harshly crushed two of the show's best characters, had Londo and G'Kar actually died in that elevator I probably still would have laughed.

"A Day in the Strife" I'm decidedly more mixed about. I loved the character stuff... the probe plot wasn't so bad but it seemed to come out of nowhere and its resolution wasn't all that profound. Franklin's addiction to stims is something I'd begun wondering about since season two... it's never stated there but I noticed we had been shown the doctor pumping himself several times.

Lastly, "Passing Through Gethsemane." So Wormtongue survived his stay on Voyager and avoided certain death through Fox and Mulder, then he killed a bunch of people and a kind priest took him under his wing. (Argh, stupid PS3 browser... un momento...)

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Now, Big-Eyed Man and the Denizens of Justice (TM) have hired a Centauri telepath to make viewers remember "Deathwalker" in obscure ways and it's up to terrifically-placed Lyta Alexander to play Cyclops to Kosh's victim of Cyclops and solve the case.

I'm being harsh -- I actually didn't hate this one. Good ol' 'Wormtongue' did his usual reliably good impression of a man with severe occular allergies and I liked the religious context of the episode quite a bit. And it's nice to see Lyta again. I'm so totally confused about the episode's ending but this is B5 we're talking about. Nothing new there!