Want to watch Babylon 5, but not all of it
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When I first watched B5, I watched it from scratch in the "correct order"... the pilot movie "The Gathering", followed by Season 1 and so on. Then again, when I first watched B5, DVDs probably weren't invented yet and the Internet was still in a rudimentary state. Those were the mid-90ies. 
However, I didn't saw the 1st season as a particularly bad TV series back then. It was neither better nor worse than Star Trek. A lot of average episodes, a few stellar episodes (mostly the earliest arc episodes), and a few really stupid episodes. It was perhaps in mid/late season 2 when I finally noticed that Babylon 5 was indeed different. Episodes like "The Coming of Shadows" (2x09), "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" (2x16), and "The Long, Twilight Struggle" (2x20) subsequently converted me into an B5 addict.
However, I didn't saw the 1st season as a particularly bad TV series back then. It was neither better nor worse than Star Trek. A lot of average episodes, a few stellar episodes (mostly the earliest arc episodes), and a few really stupid episodes. It was perhaps in mid/late season 2 when I finally noticed that Babylon 5 was indeed different. Episodes like "The Coming of Shadows" (2x09), "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" (2x16), and "The Long, Twilight Struggle" (2x20) subsequently converted me into an B5 addict.
Actually, I'd give it longer than that, because there are a couple of big differences between season 1 and 2. There is a rather critical cast change, for one thing. And there are some very important character evolutions as well which really set the larger arc of B5 in motion during season 2.
I agree with another poster up-thread. Watch the first TWO seasons. If you don't want more by the end of season two, pass on the rest (although I WILL say that, IMO, season 3 of B5 is the best single season of any scifi show ever made).
But season 1 alone isn't gonna give you a fair picture of what the show becomes. It would be like watching season 1 of DS9 or The X-Files or any other heavily arc-based show, for example, and thinking the entire show was gonna be exactly like what you see during that first season.
B5 is perhaps the most story-driven/arc-driven show in all of scifi. Unlike most scifi shows, JMS had pretty much the entire story mapped out in his mind before the first episode hit the screen. And he is VERY deliberate in how he tells that story. Because of that, there are virtually no stand-alone episodes in this show. Even many of the episodes in season 1 which you think on first viewing are stand-alone are not, in fact, stand-alone. A fact you won't discover until much later in the series.
Seriously - give it two seasons. And trust me....it's the rare individual who isn't sucked in by then.
Under the best of circumstances, you should watch every ep of B5. However, there are a few S1 eps you could get away with not watching since they don't really move the plot along, and anything in them that is plot related is completely insignifigant (these eps are also guttertrash and may stop you from watching anymore)
Skip the pilot "The Gathering" and watch it at the very end. It's not needed at all on your first viewing of the series, and if you do watch, there is a good chance you won't watch the rest. It's abysmal. "Midnight on the Firing" is a fantastic episode to start with and works way better as an intro to the series. The next 3 are really garabge eps, and you only really need to watch one of them. "Soulhunter" is really bad, but you sorta have to watch that one just for the last 10 minutes. "Born to the Purple" is pointless and terrible. "Infection" may be the worst hour of tv you'll ever watch.
Anyhoo, just get through the first season, and it's smooth sailing from there.
Skip the pilot "The Gathering" and watch it at the very end. It's not needed at all on your first viewing of the series, and if you do watch, there is a good chance you won't watch the rest. It's abysmal. "Midnight on the Firing" is a fantastic episode to start with and works way better as an intro to the series. The next 3 are really garabge eps, and you only really need to watch one of them. "Soulhunter" is really bad, but you sorta have to watch that one just for the last 10 minutes. "Born to the Purple" is pointless and terrible. "Infection" may be the worst hour of tv you'll ever watch.
Anyhoo, just get through the first season, and it's smooth sailing from there.
In S2 the show definitely finds its feet both in the writing and production values. S1 is a completely different animal, not in a good way, which is why I would advise the casual fan skipping as much of it as humanly possible. If you skip "The Gathering" wouldn't you miss out on a ton of introductory exposition about the nature of the B5verse, though?
I skipped it my first time around and didn't feel like I missed anything.
I say no, because JMS wrote the first proper episode with it in mind that many wouldn't have seen the pilot.
You're quickly caught up with all the relevant information in the show proper. And, as a plus, you don't have to deal with several cast changes--so, in actuality, I recommend skipping The Gathering on your first shot through as well because it only makes it harder to get into the show. Starting with the series makes everything less clumsy.
I agree with this. And I remember in the mid 90's when it was on TV in my country and there was a HUGE months-long break after the last episode of season 3 (Z'ha'dum).. we almost went nuts!
I remember waking up in the morning finding out I had speculated about season 4 in my dreams. 
Just to let you all know, I've watched the first few episodes now and am really quite enjoying it. I did watch the pilot and thought it was good, not much worse than any of the Trek pilots (minus the production values). In particular, I'm enjoying the music and just the feel of the universe and all hell being unleashed there. The diplomacy aspect seems good enough too, and the Vorlons are really intriguing.
I haven't warmed up to the main characters much yet (actually, I much preferred the asian Commander over Ivanova), though I'm hoping that will change with time, like with Bashir on DS9. And since everyone says that season 1 isn't as good as the rest, I'll stick until at least season 2.
Thanks for all your responses!
I haven't warmed up to the main characters much yet (actually, I much preferred the asian Commander over Ivanova), though I'm hoping that will change with time, like with Bashir on DS9. And since everyone says that season 1 isn't as good as the rest, I'll stick until at least season 2.
Thanks for all your responses!
Ivanova is one of those characters you will warm up to about the same time she begins warming up. At first, she came across as that stereotypical miliary battleaxe officer type. But oh, how that is so just the crusty surface.
Welcome aboard!
I love seeing new people continue to discover this treasure of science fiction.
Welcome aboard!
I love seeing new people continue to discover this treasure of science fiction.
If you really think that the first couple of episodes from Season 1 are good, then you're already on your way to become a hardcore fan.
Season 2 is definitely better than Season 1, and Seasons 3 & 4 are definitely better than Season 2.
As is the wont of so many when going over this topic, season 1 seems to improve greatly in people's perceptions, after they've seen the other four. Not so much because season one is better, but more because it contains a great deal of set-up and foreshadowing.
Yeah, JMS already had the full story-arc planned out before he even wrote the first episode.
He had a full story-arc planned out. The show actually turned out somewhat different. A subtle but sometimes overlooked point.
Yeah apparently, given recent revelations, there was a) the series before the pilot was made, b) the series during Season One, c) the series during Season Two-Three, d) the series during Season Four (with the crunch), e) the series during Season Five... and all were very very different!
Well, I hope you're all happy. All I want to do now is go home, sit on the couch and watch B5 on Hulu.
God, I'm sad.
God, I'm sad.
Well, I hope you're all happy. All I want to do now is go home, sit on the couch and watch B5 on Hulu.
God, I'm sad.
I feel like that everyday.
I remember back in my last year or two of high school, I would wake up two hours before I had to go to the bus stop and have a little mini marathon of B5 every single morning, going through the show (up to S4 at that point) over and over on an endless loop. Aah, memories... 
Yeah apparently, given recent revelations, there was a) the series before the pilot was made, b) the series during Season One, c) the series during Season Two-Three, d) the series during Season Four (with the crunch), e) the series during Season Five... and all were very very different!
Now with all the revelations on the variations of the arc, I wonder when exactly did JMS compose his notebook of 3x5 cards. Did he do it after "The Gathering?" Or after season one and the departure of O'Hare? Or did he revise the cards after season one to fit in Sheridan and tighten up the Shadow War? When did he decide, as CGI guru Mojo stated on his blog, to give the fans a happy ending, thus altering how he originally was going to end the series?
All these questions and many more will be answered on our next episode of Soap or if Jan happens to know them.
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