Hell yeah they should remake it, the new one needs less minbari mystics and more human grit, and for the gods sake please stop making the god man mentality happen, Sherdian or was it Sinclar, does not really matter was not a "god", Dylan hunt was not a "god", the messiah complex ruins every good sci fi series.
Remake of Babylon 5 ?
- Thread starter Lighthammer
- Start date
Or adapt someone else's vision from SF literature - such as Niven's Known Space, Banks' Culture, either Hamilton's Commonwealth or Night's Dawn, Baxter's Xeelee Sequence, Reynold's Revelation Space, the list goes on...
B5's CGI was all created at standard definition - *and* the files have since been lost, so they can't simply re-render it (like they can with the director's cut of ST:TMP). They'd have to do the effects all over again for HD.
Ah. Have we finally found someone who actually likes "TKO"?
TKO is another episode (Like Grey 17 is Missing), that is almost universally disliked, and would likely have a much better reputation, if named after the "B" story. The Ivanova B-Story in TKO is a great character building episode for her. I've since learned not to hate the A-Story, but, I've always really loved the B-Story
Any of these would be a good start (well in theory, haven't read the titles Zaprudder's refering to) but so would a straight-up remake of Babylon 5.
A brand new space opera, a space opera adapted from novels, a remake, a sequel - all that really matters is it's a good space opera. The rest is incidental.
The original film elements still exist, so shots that mix live action and CGI (which look utterly terrible on the DVDs, which are forced to crop any image with CGI in order to fit the expanded widescreen aspect ratio) could be redone. The problem, as another poster has said, is that the CGI elements no longer exist. They would have to be recreated -- mostly from scratch (a few things exist from The Lost Tales) -- at a cost that Warner Bros. simply isn't willing to invest in the series, which doesn't begin to approach the revenue that something like Star Trek: The Next Generation can provide in syndication.
Are there any techniques superior to interpolation that could be used to upscale B5's SD video - maximum entropy analysis for example? Maximum entropy techniques were applied to partially alleviate the fuzzy images from the HST before it had its optics corrected with COSTAR.
Why bother altering the original, its like trying to update the graphics of buck rogers, enjoy it for the time period it was made in. I think we can all look at those screwed up star wars "improvements" as a lesson learned in what not to do. Now making a new version of the series with an altered story is a good idea, like how they remade battlestar galactica.
It wouldn't be altering the original any more than modern HD TVs adulterate the image when they upscale by adding extra lines.
I still don't see the point of doing it, the graphics weren't horrible, it would just be an excuse to overvcharge fans for episodes they likely already own, or could buy cheaper originals.
I think most fans should be capable of making an informed choice about whether they should lay out their cash based on the quality of the product. Those that aren't capable of that are just sheep.
Now c'mon, you know damned well, we're genetically predisposed to automatically buy the Bigger/Better version of anything we love, everytime it comes out, no matter how many times, they've reached into our pocket for upgrades
I don't mind the original effects. They are what they are. And to be honest I rarely judge a show on the quality of its effects. Especially if it was made before the invention of CGI. (Yes, friends, I like Doctor Who, dodgey effects and all.)
What engages me is the story and the characters. I can forgive the rest, especially when its being made on a tight budget.
What engages me is the story and the characters. I can forgive the rest, especially when its being made on a tight budget.
The thing is, WB wouldn't pay for it even if it only cost them a few thousand dollars. They don't want to lay *any* more money down for a show that they believe already has all its fans. They're content to just make money by selling the DVDs ad infinitum.
I just checked, I'm surprised its not available for streaming on Netflix. I would think that would be a sort of no brainer for WB. At least there's a potential of getting new people to watch, since as far as I know its not on repeats on cable anywhere, like TNG is.
And it looks like only the first two seasons are streaming on Hulu. Maybe all of them are on Hulu Plus?
And it looks like only the first two seasons are streaming on Hulu. Maybe all of them are on Hulu Plus?
that's what I thought. Maybe it's just on a contractual cycle or something.
If Warner Bros. thought they could make money by making a catalog title like Babylon 5 suitable for high-def, they would. The reasons they're not investing money into it is clear: home video sales have declined and continue to do so, it would cost them much more than "a few thousand dollars" to do so, and the show is barely seen in syndication. It's just not a worthwhile investment.
