Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILERS)

[Captain Worf]

My uncle introduced me to B5 around the time when it moved to TNT. I was only ten years old back then, but I saw In the Beginning before most of the series. Reading the thread about watching it for the first time makes me wonder how my viewing experience would've been different if I hadn't seen it until I saw the first four seasons. I remember JMS saying he made the movie in part to introduce new TNT viewers to the show, but most people still seem to think it spoils too much. Thoughts?

I remember the first time I saw it, the one thing that really made me curious about the series was the bit at the end when Londo says "Bring in the Prisoners". I spent a long time wondering when I'd find out more about that, and by the time I got to "War Without End" I was surprised we didn't see more about that point in the future. I really need to read the B5 books.

 

[Elemental]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

My uncle introduced me to B5 around the time when it moved to TNT. I was only ten years old back then, but I saw In the Beginning before most of the series. Reading the thread about watching it for the first time makes me wonder how my viewing experience would've been different if I hadn't seen it until I saw the first four seasons. I remember JMS saying he made the movie in part to introduce new TNT movies to the show, but most people still seem to think it spoils too much. Thoughts?

I remember the first time I saw it, the one thing that really made me curious about the series was the bit at the end when Londo says "Bring in the Prisoners". I spent a long time wondering when I'd find out more about that, and by the time I got to "War Without End" I was surprised we didn't see more about that point in the future. I really need to read the B5 books.

JMS can say whatever he wants, but that was probably at a time when the movie was about to air and he could either promote the movie as something anyone could watch to jump onboard and hopefully gain more viewers, or say that it's chock full of spoilers and seen little viewership benefit as a result.

I can't imagine starting with that movie. It's great, but it gives away waaaay too many of the early mysteries of the show. Sheridan becoming President, Delenn undergoing a transformation, the secret behind the Minbari surrender, Londo as Emperor, Rangers, Delenn & Sheridan as a couple... why would anyone want this all revealed in a 1.5 hour movie before they have even gotten to really know any of these characters? It works much better as a culmination of 4 years worth of revelations and backstory.

 

[Candlelight]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

I remember the first time I saw it, the one thing that really made me curious about the series was the bit at the end when Londo says "Bring in the Prisoners". I spent a long time wondering when I'd find out more about that, and by the time I got to "War Without End" I was surprised we didn't see more about that point in the future.

I hated that too. There was too much overhang in the series, especially the set up of stuff like David Sheridan in season five which came to nought (unless it was planned to have been covered in Crusade as well as the novels).

 

[Pingfah]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

Gives away too much?!

It's like every salient plot point from the first 4 seasons crammed into one 90 minute movie. Watching this first would be disasterous in terms of enjoying the unfolding mystery.

 

[glindros]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

I would suggest avoiding In The Beginning until at least the end of season 4. It contains a massive amount of back story that means little to nothing if you haven't gone though the series first.

For example how can you take much, if any comfort in understanding why something has functioned in a certain way, if you didn't know that it existed to begin with.

Why ruin your own viewing experience? Skip it till the end.

 

[The Evil Dead]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

I'd seen a few episodes of the show when in 1993 or 1994 and since I was still a very immature 11 or 12 years old I couldn't get into it the way I liked Star Trek: TNG at the time.

The ads for In the Beginning were so cool that I decided to give it another try, so I consider it what got me into Babylon 5. Yeeeeah, I knew the big secret but I've never minded spoilers. We all knew how Frodo was going to destroy the ring and most of us enjoyed Lord of the Rings just fine. I'm very excited to see Watchmen next month and I know how it'll end. It's the journey, not the destination, how the story is told.

It made me more curious to stick with the series through the, in my opinion, weaker first season. If I'd watched the first season on it's own I'm just not sure it'd have hooked me enough to bother with the 2nd season. I think of In the Beginning as a tease, giving me a lot of things to look forward to. There's enough aspects to Babylon 5 not featured in the TV movie to keep you interested in the series.

 

[Stevil2001]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

In the Beginning was the first piece of Babylon 5 I ever saw-- a friend loaned me the tape he'd made when it aired. It absolutely hooked me on the show. I knew the show's broad strokes before I saw it (though there was the occasional surprise along the way), but that never stopped it from being anything less than enjoyable. A good show is a good show, regardless of whether you've had some plot points "spoiled" beforehand.

 

[Harvey]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

I'd sandwich it in between "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light," personally. Londo's framing story takes place between those two episodes, and it highlights, one last time, a couple of characters, at least, who aren't able to appear in "Sleeping in Light."

Watching it before everything would be confusing, and eliminate most of the series' mysteries, in my opinion. It's especially jarring to go from "In the Beginning" to "The Gathering," were most of the characters are different, production design changes are jarring, and the computer imagery is far inferior.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

Personally, I like to put ItB right after "Atonement" in season four. Despite the spoilers for later in that season, I think ItB plays well as a direct continuation of Delenn's "terrible secret" and the Earth-Minbari War.

 

[Captain Worf]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

I'd seen a few episodes of the show when in 1993 or 1994 and since I was still a very immature 11 or 12 years old I couldn't get into it the way I liked Star Trek: TNG at the time.

The ads for In the Beginning were so cool that I decided to give it another try, so I consider it what got me into Babylon 5. Yeeeeah, I knew the big secret but I've never minded spoilers. We all knew how Frodo was going to destroy the ring and most of us enjoyed Lord of the Rings just fine. I'm very excited to see Watchmen next month and I know how it'll end. It's the journey, not the destination, how the story is told.

It made me more curious to stick with the series through the, in my opinion, weaker first season. If I'd watched the first season on it's own I'm just not sure it'd have hooked me enough to bother with the 2nd season. I think of In the Beginning as a tease, giving me a lot of things to look forward to. There's enough aspects to Babylon 5 not featured in the TV movie to keep you interested in the series.

I pretty much agree with this. I can't imagine hooking someone on the show with The Gathering. It would be difficult to sit through the first half of season 1 not knowing how much better the show will get, especially nowadays.

Also, I don't think itB gives away everything. For example, if you watch it first, you'll know there's a connection between the Minbari and Sinclair, but the events of "War Without End" will still be very surprising.

 

[Mr Light]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

As I remember, in ITB they actually use the "V" word, don't they?

 

[Harvey]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

I'm pretty sure they do, and it's a lot more explicit than the comment made by Kosh in the updated version of the Gathering. As I recall.

 

[Captain Worf]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

As I remember, in ITB they actually use the "V" word, don't they?

Yeah, but from a first-time viewer's perspective, what does that mean? There's no way you could predict what ended up happening in "War Without End".

 

[Harvey]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

Perhaps not as soon as you started watching the series, but an astute viewer would figure it out long before the revelation came up, I think. Which doesn't begin to mention all the other things the movie spoils.

 

[Captain Worf]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

Perhaps not as soon as you started watching the series, but an astute viewer would figure it out long before the revelation came up, I think. Which doesn't begin to mention all the other things the movie spoils.

How? We hardly see Sinclair between season 1 and WWE, and the "V" word is only mentioned a few times casually in the series.

 

[Harvey]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

Someone who has the DVDs or the scripts on hand will have to review the scene, but from what I remember Delenn explicitly says Sinclair has Valen's soul inside him in In The Beginning. It doesn't take much to intuit the rest given what else you see in the series. Mostly, though, it just undercuts the entire "hole in your mind" mystery of season one by showing us everything that will slowly be revealed that year.

 

[The Evil Dead]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

It's been so long since I have watched Babylon 5, and my mind is so in the gutter, I was wondering why you guys were debating whether or not they talked about "Vagina" or not in the TV movie.

 

[DonIago]

Re: Viewing In The Beginning before the first 4 seasons of B5 (SPOILER

Someone who has the DVDs or the scripts on hand will have to review the scene, but from what I remember Delenn explicitly says Sinclair has Valen's soul inside him in In The Beginning. It doesn't take much to intuit the rest given what else you see in the series. Mostly, though, it just undercuts the entire "hole in your mind" mystery of season one by showing us everything that will slowly be revealed that year.

I'm about 90% sure they mention a Minbari soul, but not whose.