Lost vs. Babylon 5

[Jan]

I also felt it took the multi-media thing too far by (I heard) having major plot points resolved offscreen. I did like several of the characters a lot, though.

Eh? Like what?

When I was watching it, it seemed necessary to follow all of the faux-websites. I'd also heard that the mystery of the numbers was revealed offscreen. Not sure of that, though, since as I said, it strung me along for too long.

As for B5's dialogue, I wonder what people would say about it if there wasn't so much exposition packed into so much of it. Lost and other shows do a 'previously on' segment at the top of the show to remind viewers of what went on before but for whatever reason, B5 only did that a few times.

Jan

 

[RoJoHen]

I also felt it took the multi-media thing too far by (I heard) having major plot points resolved offscreen. I did like several of the characters a lot, though.

Eh? Like what?

When I was watching it, it seemed necessary to follow all of the faux-websites. I'd also heard that the mystery of the numbers was revealed offscreen. Not sure of that, though, since as I said, it strung me along for too long.

Odd. I understand the show just fine, and I have never once watched anything other than just the episodes.

Then again, I did it all on DVD in long marathons. I refuse to watch Lost week to week.

 

[Lindley]

I've heard that some additional stuff is done with the numbers in other media. As far as the show goes, though, they're just The Numbers. The specific meaning, if any, is secondary at best.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The additional online (and it seems non-canonical) content to LOST is exactly that: additional. Not necessary to enjoy the show, but it does go into some mysteries that do not need explanation as far as the main TV show goes, or would be too deep for the show itself to handle and perhaps would make for a decent spin-off show (e.g. the origins of the Hanso Foundation).

Then again there were also the Missing Pieces which add flavour to the plot, fill in very minor gaps to the narrative (sometimes needlessly) and supplement the occasional abandoned plot thread, but are largely extraneous and optional. But the fans still love them.

 

[Lindley]

I did appreciate the additional Dharma orientation films that would appear around the internet now and then, I must say....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gERdALb5vQ

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I did appreciate the additional Dharma orientation films that would appear around the internet now and then, I must say....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gERdALb5vQ

I see that was the "clean" version.

 

[stonester1]

Dialogue? The dialogue in Babylon 5 reaches, at it's best, a level of poetry, profundity and wit that I almost never see on Lost.

That's not to say the dialog on Lost is bad. It's not. It's very good. But which dialog I'd rather listen to? B5, hands down.

Same with the music.

Did we watch the same show? The dialogue on B5 was about as hackney and cliched as they come. In the hands of talented actors like Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas it can sound like poetry (but so would the phone book). In the hands of second raters like Boxleitner and Doyle or amateurs like Christian and Biggs it's crap.

I'm thinking we did see different shows. Because I can think of many, MANY lines, dialogues, monologues and moments from the show involving ALL those characters.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Dialogue? The dialogue in Babylon 5 reaches, at it's best, a level of poetry, profundity and wit that I almost never see on Lost.

That's not to say the dialog on Lost is bad. It's not. It's very good. But which dialog I'd rather listen to? B5, hands down.

Same with the music.

Did we watch the same show? The dialogue on B5 was about as hackney and cliched as they come. In the hands of talented actors like Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas it can sound like poetry (but so would the phone book). In the hands of second raters like Boxleitner and Doyle or amateurs like Christian and Biggs it's crap.

I'm thinking we did see different shows. Because I can think of many, MANY lines, dialogues, monologues and moments from the show involving ALL those characters.

Different strokes.

 

[DevilEyes]

I did appreciate the additional Dharma orientation films that would appear around the internet now and then, I must say....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gERdALb5vQ

That video and this one pretty much revealed/hinted at what the season 5 would be all about. But it was certainly not necessary to see to understand the show. People who saw the videos just had a greater chance of guessing that the Island

Spoiler: season 5

had moved in time and that S5 would be about time-travel.

 

[Neroon]

Did we watch the same show? The dialogue on B5 was about as hackney and cliched as they come. In the hands of talented actors like Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas it can sound like poetry (but so would the phone book). In the hands of second raters like Boxleitner and Doyle or amateurs like Christian and Biggs it's crap.

I'm thinking we did see different shows. Because I can think of many, MANY lines, dialogues, monologues and moments from the show involving ALL those characters.

Different strokes.

Exactly. This entire thread is for the most part based upon subjectivity and different methods appealing to different people.

 

[Reverend]

I'm having trouble coming up with a criteria on which to judge these shows as (aside from sharing a few actors) I can't see how they're comparable. Totally different shows with completely different approaches to arc storytelling.

For personal taste though; I like Lost but I really like B5.
Why? Well, I suppose if I had to come up with a set of reasons I'd say; for one thing B5 plays fair with the various mysteries and secrets while Lost tends to just keep tagging you along to what is almost certain to be an anti-climax. On top of that, Lost is rather thin on the ground when it comes to likeable characters and only one or two of them have seen ANY growth or change over the course of the show.

But that's all subjective. B5 is far from perfect and I'd hardly expect most people to agree.

 

[Jim Steele]

As an avid lover of both, Babylon 5.

I'd give my reasons but it's subjective, as someone will no doubt point out, because this is TrekBBS. What's the point. Don't even know why I posted. This may be an ill advised joke paragraph but, I cannae stop man. CANNAE STOP.

(because the plotting in Babylon 5 is an absolutely stunning tapestry of detail and branching that nobody has done as well before or since IN MY HUMBLEST OPINION ONIONS)

(Lost is fucking brammer too though)

 

[Neroon]

"brammer"?

 

[Jim Steele]

As in braw.

 

[Lindley]

I, for one, still have no idea. Probably one of those British things?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I, for one, still have no idea. Probably one of those British things?

Oh, you've made him mad now....


[stands back]

 

[Jan]

(Lost is fucking brammer too though)

"brammer"?

As in braw.

I, for one, still have no idea. Probably one of those British things?

As Delenn once said:

No wonder you have
such an eccentric culture. None of
your words have their own meanings;
you have to look up one word to​

understand another...it never ends.

Jan[FONT=Courier]
[/FONT]

 

[RoJoHen]

I still have no idea what these words mean.

 

[Rowan Sjet]

Scottish Dictionary is your friend.

 

[RoJoHen]

Only if you knew it was Scottish to begin with!

Why can't we just say "good?"