Should I Blind Buy Babylon 5?

[Terran_Empire]

Season 1 gets bashed a lot. I personally liked the whole atmosphere that season 1 established for the rest of the series, yes even the filler episodes. There are some really great Londo G'Kar moments throughout and Michael O'Hare as Jeff Sinclair was simply awesome, despite what all the "haters" say.

 

[Sindatur]

Lyta in thight leather pants, good.

Lyta not in tight leather pants, better.

Ah... Secrets Of the Soul, with the major Lyta Revelations, including the bouncing breasts

We Will All Live Together In Better Place, A Better Place...
<SHUDDER>

 

[Sindatur]

Season 1 gets bashed a lot. I personally liked the whole atmosphere that season 1 established for the rest of the series, yes even the filler episodes. There are some really great Londo G'Kar moments throughout and Michael O'Hare as Jeff Sinclair was simply awesome, despite what all the "haters" say.

Yea, I was sold on the Pilot for the CGI, and by And The Sky Ful Of Stars for what the story promised to become. I enjoyed Sinclair, he was "Wooden" on purpose, to display his "autism" like "Hole in His Mind".

Most S1 episodes, I enjoyed at least a bit on a first watch, only Infection, is pictured as awful by me, and TKO of course has the Fight scenes, that it took me awhile to appreciate, but, it's always had the awesome Ivanova Drama B-Story. Most other S1 stories were at least worth the time it took to watch them first time through, and many are elevated on a Rewatch when you know what to watch for the Series to build in Season 1.

 

[JD]

I enjoyed Season 1 when I watched it. It's definitely not as good as Seasons 2-4, but still worth watching.

 

[Trimm]

I like season 1 of B5 for the same reason I like the first season of TNG, you can get a feel for how good the show is going to end up.

 

[RandyS]

Season 1 gets bashed a lot. I personally liked the whole atmosphere that season 1 established for the rest of the series, yes even the filler episodes. There are some really great Londo G'Kar moments throughout and Michael O'Hare as Jeff Sinclair was simply awesome, despite what all the "haters" say.

Agreed, but then I love Babylon 5 so much (second only to Star Trek), that I even love the episodes with that idiot Byron in season five.

 

[Technobuilder]

Gah, Byron... I just didn't like the way that all went down.

I'm trying to think of a bad character on B5, and other than "Throw-Away Pilot" in Season 1, Byron about the closest I can think of.

 

[Harvey]

Are you talking about Keffer from season two when you say the "throw-away pilot?"

As far as bad characters go, I think any number of the thugs of the week to occupy down below would qualify. At times they were a crutch when JMS needed somebody quick and easy for our heroes to dispatch.

 

[inflatabledalek]

Agreed, but then I love Babylon 5 so much (second only to Star Trek), that I even love the episodes with that idiot Byron in season five.

Byron shows a big JMS problem, he's a self-confirmed Anglophile but has a very strange idea how English people talk. Marcus could pull it off because, after an unsteady start, Jason Carter hit upon playing it in a nicely tounge in cheek way that at least convinced you he wasn't completely serious about it (and, amongst the guest stars, David Warner is just awesome enough to pull it off, whilst Michael York wasn't). The chap playing Byron made the mistake of trying to deliver every over wrought line of flowery poetry as if it was deadly serious.

Mind, I think Joss Whedon has a similar problem, his British characters pretty much depend on the quality of the actor to make it work (Head, Denisof and Yulin- despite the later not even attempting an accent, all made their characters more than they might have been. Various Watchers and those two bloody potentials from season 7 are frequently painful to watch).

One of the things I do love about B5 is how it's ahead of its time. When it began we were close to a decade before the DVD boxset, let alone online streaming of shows that allow you to sit down and watch a season of something in a week or catch up on old episodes easily. The US TV environment of the time wasn't well geared towards heavily arced shows, with not very many examples before it (The X-Files was starting to really get into its arcs about the same time, but in terms of precendets there's, what, Twin Peaks and not much else?).

Because it was doing it first there are some interesting decisions that don't quite work, such as the decision to almost completely avoid "Previously On" sequences meaning there's frequently some very awkward dialogue to bring viewers up to speed on past events, but it's surprising how well it still stands up.

 

[MacLeod]

From memort B5 in terms of fan appeal it grew faster in the UK than it did in the US due to the nature of the way it aired in the UK. Where it aired seasons without a mid season break., as it did in the US

 

[Technobuilder]

Are you talking about Keffer from season two when you say the "throw-away pilot?"

As far as bad characters go, I think any number of the thugs of the week to occupy down below would qualify. At times they were a crutch when JMS needed somebody quick and easy for our heroes to dispatch.

Yeah. Keffer.

And you're right. I was more focusing on Major-type Recurring Characters.

Keffer never should of been main cast for example.

 

[Jan]

Keffer should have been far more interesting. JMS showed what the character he originally had in mind would have been in the script books:

SQUADRON LEADER IDORI (Dory) SHIMA
Late 20s/early 30s, Dory (as he is usually
called) is a fighter pilot and the one
assigned to lead whichever squadron is
called out. He comes from one of Japan's
oldest families, dating back through WW II
and down through the ages to ancient
samurai. He takes his work very
seriously, knowing that the lives of his
squad rest on his shoulders. But offduty,
he approaches his R&R with equal
enthusiasm. Darkly attractive, he always
seems to have a different woman on his arm
every week.
He's a crack pilot, and a skilled tracker;
once on your trail, he'll follow you to
the end of the universe if that's what it
takes. He has an abiding interest in old
Earth history, with special attention on​

Japanese culture.

Unfortunately, the studio wanted:

PTEN vetoed Dory Shima,​

preferring a character they thought would be better suited to “bringing in the

female demographic,” as they put it. They felt that the character of Dory, as
described above, was “too thoughtful and not dynamic enough.”
“Give us Babylon 5’s Han Solo,” they said, “someone dashing, young,​

brash.”

Jan

 

[Harvey]

It's a shame JMS and the studio couldn't have found some sort of compromise. Keffer had so little screen time (in so few episodes; only 6 IIRC) that his inclusion in the main titles was bewildering.

 

[Technobuilder]

Keffer should have been far more interesting. JMS showed what the character he originally had in mind would have been in the script books:

SQUADRON LEADER IDORI (Dory) SHIMA
Late 20s/early 30s, Dory (as he is usually
called) is a fighter pilot and the one
assigned to lead whichever squadron is
called out. He comes from one of Japan's
oldest families, dating back through WW II
and down through the ages to ancient
samurai. He takes his work very
seriously, knowing that the lives of his
squad rest on his shoulders. But offduty,
he approaches his R&R with equal
enthusiasm. Darkly attractive, he always
seems to have a different woman on his arm
every week.
He's a crack pilot, and a skilled tracker;
once on your trail, he'll follow you to
the end of the universe if that's what it
takes. He has an abiding interest in old
Earth history, with special attention on​

Japanese culture.

Unfortunately, the studio wanted:

PTEN vetoed Dory Shima,​

preferring a character they thought would be better suited to “bringing in the

female demographic,” as they put it. They felt that the character of Dory, as
described above, was “too thoughtful and not dynamic enough.”
“Give us Babylon 5’s Han Solo,” they said, “someone dashing, young,​

brash.”

Jan

Did you get that from the Script Books?

I wanted to read those so badly, but I never had the cash.

I'm hoping they go to E-Book form one day.

 

[Jan]

Did you get that from the Script Books?

Yes, it was part of Volume 3 where JMS also published his original character memo for the temporarily named 'John Strider' who ended up John Sheridan. He also discusses how Michael York was interested in the part but PTEN wouldn't go for it because York's British and so was Patrick Stewart and PTEN didn't want viewers to think that all future space-faring captains will be British.

Too bad PTEN was defunct before TNT enterred the picture - I think they'd have gotten along famously.

Jan

 

[Forbin]

Too bad PTEN was defunct before TNT enterred the picture - I think they'd have gotten along famously.

Jan

 

[Crusher Disciple]

I did a blind buy on S5. I had to watch the entire series, but man getting through S5 is FRIGGIN HARD!

 

[Triple-F]

Yeah, the reasons for it are well documented and discussed. But the fifth season can be pretty hard going. The final few episodes are good though, wrapping up the story.

 

[RandyS]

I did a blind buy on S5. I had to watch the entire series, but man getting through S5 is FRIGGIN HARD!

Is it because of Byron? Tell me it's because of Byron.

Don't you just want to slap him??

 

[Guy Gardener]

I hated him, and then I saw all these girls I watched the show with "SWOON" I mean they swooned for Marcus, I could almost see that, but swooning for Byron... Fuck that. If this is how womens minds work, I was about ready to submit and welcome homosexuality with a smile.