Worth watching Babylon 5?
- Thread starter ReadyAndWilling
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You know... the station-side shenanigans might look pretty low-budget sometimes (especially a lot of the action stuff) but much of the show's space stuff looks terrific to me now. It has a very 'this is blatantly CG' thing going on, of course, but watching the Starfuries blazing around is very up-to-par even for just several years ago, IMO.
That's a reasonable assessment. I found it less entertaining as it went on.
And the "DS9 stole from B5" meme is utter and unmitigated bullshit.
^ Well I'd thought that but...when the xenophobic Circle start branding the heads of aliens, much like the Homeguard did, I start to wonder. Even beyond the antagonistic two alien races, one of whom subjugated the other and strip mined their world (Cardassian/Centari--Bajoran/Narn) both shows feature a commanding officer who survived a devastating battle against impossible odds (The Line/ Wolf 359) both early on have an episode where the security chief is framed for a crime he didn't commit, Section 31/Beaureu 13...
Oh yeah, and I notice both are set on a space station
Oh yeah, and I notice both are set on a space station
Keep fighting that fight if you like, but the claim is still bullshit. The people who first promulgated it know that, and to the extent they encourage its continuance it constitutes a knowing insult to the producers and writers of DS9 (another series I don't actually care for much).
Even if DS9 did steal some basic ideas from B5, which I'm not saying one way or another, the end results were so completely different that it doesn't matter. Everybody is inspired by something. If the writers of DS9 were inspired by some of the stories on B5, it's hardly a crime.
Neither DS9 or B5 were a copy of one another, no matter what some of the fans like to think.
Judging by this I can safely say that B5 isn't for you. Yes there are some stellar battles in the show, but it's far more character orientated, with characterisation one of it's highlights (despite the tendency for character monologues).
Of course it's greatest highlight were it's story arcs, which made it feel like you were watching a television adaption of a well planned novel.
As for real science fiction, unfortunately that definition changes from fan to fan.
I'd have to agree with this. It may not have been perfect, but the sum of the good far outweighed the sum of the bad - just like Star Trek.
There's actually a lengthy list of better skiffy material on TV over the last twenty years including but not limited to Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Doctor Who and Firefly. In the end B5 held more true to its pretensions than its ambition.
Before anyone gets angry - my opinion only.
Some odd moments of greatness, but for the most part average or below average.
It seems to be one of the biggest problems with many sci-fi (especially space opera sci-fi), that most can't do decent characterisation on the same level as non-sci-fi dramas. Heck in some scifi (like some Trek) the characters are there just to act as plot cyphers. Sorry, little segue there.
An enjoyable diversion, nothing more.
An iffy show that ejected technobabble and replaced it with religibabble, which is even worse. The characterisation was also of soap opera mentality. When I say soap opera, I mean soap opera, not like one of those emotionally challenged sci-fi fans who thinks a character crying makes it a soap.
Some odd moments of greatness, but for the most part average or below average.
It seems to be one of the biggest problems with many sci-fi (especially space opera sci-fi), that most can't do decent characterisation on the same level as non-sci-fi dramas. Heck in some scifi (like some Trek) the characters are there just to act as plot cyphers. Sorry, little segue there.
While one or two stories may have had science fiction elements, Buffy was not science fiction.
Agreed to a point. While Doctor Who is currently one of my top favourite shows shows (and has been on and off since the classic series), it's not really something I can get my teeth into. Thank god the characterisation has improved since the old days though. In some ways anyway.
A decent show with a reasonably good cast of characters, that suffered from easily predictable Joss Whedon characterisation. Mileage may vary on the later depending on how much experience you have of Joss Whedons writing. Note I'm not saying the characterisation is bad, it's just rather easy to predict given there are less ways to play against a cliche and/or trope situation, then there is to go along with it.
Worth watching? Very much so.
Personally I think that it's probably the best of all the space based science fiction series.
The storylines and characters are great, it has an engaging cast and they made great use of CGI (obviously no longer cutting edge, but still cool) and music.
In addition, it has an intriguing universe, with more focus on humanity than in Star Trek but also an array of exotic aliens.
It has its ups and downs, but there are many, many fantastic episodes and the number of truly bad ones is pretty low - it's nearly always watchable.
A few tips if you do decide to watch it:
- Watch the pilot (The Gathering), but don't take it as representative of the series - it isn't - things get a lot better.
- Don't set too much store by the negative reaction Season 1 sometimes gets around here - it isn't as good as later seasons, but it's still good TV (especially the second half) - certainly better than the first seasons of TNG, DS9 or Enterprise. Do bear in mind that it gets better later on though (most fans consider Seasons 2-4 the best).
- The TV film In the Beginning is a prequel - some recommend watching it before the series, but I say leave it till at least the end of Season 4.
Personally I think that it's probably the best of all the space based science fiction series.
The storylines and characters are great, it has an engaging cast and they made great use of CGI (obviously no longer cutting edge, but still cool) and music.
In addition, it has an intriguing universe, with more focus on humanity than in Star Trek but also an array of exotic aliens.
It has its ups and downs, but there are many, many fantastic episodes and the number of truly bad ones is pretty low - it's nearly always watchable.
A few tips if you do decide to watch it:
- Watch the pilot (The Gathering), but don't take it as representative of the series - it isn't - things get a lot better.
- Don't set too much store by the negative reaction Season 1 sometimes gets around here - it isn't as good as later seasons, but it's still good TV (especially the second half) - certainly better than the first seasons of TNG, DS9 or Enterprise. Do bear in mind that it gets better later on though (most fans consider Seasons 2-4 the best).
- The TV film In the Beginning is a prequel - some recommend watching it before the series, but I say leave it till at least the end of Season 4.
I would argue that B5 is a lot more action packed than any Star Trek show. Many DS9 episodes didn't have any shooting or fighting in them and would go to commercial on dramatic character closeups that went on far too long. B5 usually goes to ad with a murder or ships blowing each other away 
Yea, as a fan, regardless who may have stolen from who or when, DS9 and B5 are 2 of my all time favorite SciFi sseries, and I am grateful both of them were made and are in my personal DVD collectionLeave the "who stole from whom" crap for other fourms.
Actually it was the most imaginative and unusual skiffy series since the 1960s, whereas B5 was an inexpensive variation on the familiar Trek template.
In which case the characterization would be significantly more sophisticated and interesting than B5's characterization-by-monologue.
The distinction some fans make between sf and other fantasy is meaningless. I don't bother. Buffy counts.
Good.
Predictably witty, in any event. Again, what separates a writer like Whedon from jms is that Whedon can write characters rather than chess pieces that deliver the occasional on-camera soliloquy.
Actually there's one way to go along with a cliche, which is what makes it a cliche - demonstrated week after week by the writing on B5.
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