Watching Babylon 5 for the first time... *Spoilers, duh*

[Neroon]

I have to disagree somewhat about assessing "The Gathering" as "bad". Certainly, it needed more than a fair amount of improvement, hence the "back to the shop" phase. But just calling it "bad" implies it was worse than it really was. If it had been that bad, I doubt if B5 would have taken flight. Of course, that comes after having watched the entire series, leading to an improvement in in retrospect.

 

[Mr Light]

I have no memories of the original version. I have no idea what the gorilla bartender or the alien zoo looks like, or what the original CGI looked like. I understand the TNT version had re-done CGI, which is odd because it didn't look up to S4 quality, but nor did it look early S1 bad either.

 

[David cgc]

I think there was maybe one new-new shot in the movie. All the "re-done" CGI was stock footage from later episodes. There's one giveaway shot in particular of Kosh's ship where the stripe on the petals is much bigger and has different writing on it, because it was a different Vorlon transport from season 2 or 3.

 

[DWF]

I have to disagree somewhat about assessing "The Gathering" as "bad". Certainly, it needed more than a fair amount of improvement, hence the "back to the shop" phase. But just calling it "bad" implies it was worse than it really was. If it had been that bad, I doubt if B5 would have taken flight. Of course, that comes after having watched the entire series, leading to an improvement in in retrospect.

According to JMS it was the CGI that sold the pilot as a series.

 

[Mr Light]

I believe it was also the careful pre-planning of episodes that would lead to efficient spending, versus other shows which made scripts at the last minute necessitating overnight set building and overtime payouts. Also, the complete absence of location filming and the predominate use of pre-existing sets.

 

[DWF]

I believe it was also the careful pre-planning of episodes that would lead to efficient spending, versus other shows which made scripts at the last minute necessitating overnight set building and overtime payouts. Also, the complete absence of location filming and the predominate use of pre-existing sets.

That had nothing to do with selling the pilot, the only thing that really impressed the executives was the CGI.

 

[Neroon]

I know all of this. What i am saying is if the pilot was really so lousy as to be labeled "bad" I seriously doubt it would have been any kind of asset in selling the series.

 

[Reverend]

Indeed. Still it's worth remembering that when 'The Gathering' was made, the CG effects were light years ahead of anything anyone else was doing on TV and at the time they looked spectacular.

It was because of B5's success in advancing the field that the Star Trek people considered using CG instead of the miniatures they'd been using up until that point (a technology I might add that had advanced very little since the late 70's.) When they did make the switch, guess which company they hired.

IMO, lots of things got better once Richard Compton went away. His last episode was 'Grail' and word is that he was present but not doing much in the way of directing. It's a credit to the actors and crew that there was anything to make an episode out of at all.

Jan

Someone on this board who knows the actor that played Jinxo related an account of filming that show in TGB's thread. If I remember it right,Compton spent the whole time in his seat looking pissed off, leaving John Flinn (the director of photography) do actually direct the thing.

Granted it's none of my business why someone I've never met gets the sack, but I'm curious as to how it's even possible to fire a producer.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I know all of this. What i am saying is if the pilot was really so lousy as to be labeled "bad" I seriously doubt it would have been any kind of asset in selling the series.

Actually, "The Gathering" was pretty good for its time. I know, because I watched it without watching the show afterwards.

Story goes this, it's 1996, I'm about twelve years old, my mom, my brother and me walk into the video store and both my bro and me are allowed to pick one video each. I'm in the mood for Star Trek, but they didn't have any (must've all been rented out), so I look at this video of Babylon 5. I hadn't watched the show on tv, since I was a polarising idiot back then (as in "there can't possibly be any good scifi series that isn't Star Trek"). Since they've got nothing else, I take it. Turns out to be "The Gathering", which is kinda good since it has this whole introduction into this universe. I remember being surprisedly intrigued by it. Certainly wasn't Star Trek, but I liked it nonetheless. But for some reason, I still didn't watch the show until the DVDs came out.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Compton's episodes were the pits. "Infection" and its obsession with capturing the most 'monster' out of its monster was really bugging me.

I still haven't watched any more because "Severed Dreams" was so good I don't want to bother anymore... no, kidding. Just long work hours. I'm hoping to catch two before I hit the sack today!

 

[Jan]

You newcomers have it so easy. Just pop in a DVD or stream it on Netflix (or equivalent). Now, in my day, we had to wait at least whole week between episodes. Sometimes as much as three months! Now that was torture, let me tell ya! Young whippersnappers, you...got it so easy...



Happy 18th 'birthday', B5!

Jan

 

[Bishop76]

Yeah, good God... remember that wait after Z'ha'dum? Terrible...

 

[theblitz]

Young whippersnappers, you...got it so easy...

At 51 it is a long time since someone called me a "Young whippersnapper".

But we still suffer the same now waiting for WH13 or Eureka.

 

[Neroon]

Yeah, good God... remember that wait after Z'ha'dum? Terrible...

And that was only after a week, due to PTEN's edict to change the schedule. Imagine what it'd have been like had the original schedule been left intact!

 

[OmahaStar]

You newcomers have it so easy. Just pop in a DVD or stream it on Netflix (or equivalent). Now, in my day, we had to wait at least whole week between episodes. Sometimes as much as three months! Now that was torture, let me tell ya! Young whippersnappers, you...got it so easy...

You're being kind, Jan.

It wasn't just the wait for a whole week, it was trying to find it on the schedule too. Around here, and I'm sure in other parts of the country, the local station which aired it frequently changed where it was aired. It might be on Saturday at 6. The next week, Tuesday at 9. The following week, Sunday at 3:15 am. It wasn't until midway through season four (seriously) that it landed at a set time and stayed there through the end of that season's run. And then when it finally got to TNT, there we had an actual set time for when it would air.

Unless one was a dedicated, hardcore Fiver, I imagine fans would have given up on the series out of frustration with the schedule. Glad I stuck through it and was always able to find it.

Now, you can find it on dvd, on Netflix, on other streaming sites (legal and otherwise), on videotape, etc etc etc. Lucky kids today.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

I'm a lucky kid.

 

[Jan]

It wasn't just the wait for a whole week, it was trying to find it on the schedule too. Around here, and I'm sure in other parts of the country, the local station which aired it frequently changed where it was aired.

In that area I was really lucky. I had two PTEN stations and they kept it fairly consistent. I've heard plenty of stories of 'The Hunt For Babylon 5', though.

theblitz, you're still a young whippersnapper since I'm older than you. Ask Omaha, he knows I'm an old lady.

Jan

 

[OmahaStar]

theblitz, you're still a young whippersnapper since I'm older than you. Ask Omaha, he knows I'm an old lady.

Jan

Bull. You're SO not old! You are, however, a lady.

In fact, I just happen to have a picture of her, I snapped the last time we hung out.

She's gonna get me for that one.
​

 

[Jan]

She's gonna get me for that one.

You just wait...remember the saying about revenge being a dish best served cold? When you least expect it...

Remember what JMS did to Andreas and Peter in the script of an episode that Jeff hasn't seen yet? Just wait...

Jan

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

She's gonna get me for that one.

You just wait...remember the saying about revenge being a dish best served cold? When you least expect it...

Remember what JMS did to Andreas and Peter in the script of an episode that Jeff hasn't seen yet? Just wait...

Jan

What a cunning way to get me to hurry up!