Ok, so babylon 5 is awesome

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:25 pm

I'm up to s2e19, and will watch it once I've the chance. My humble thanks to Hotfoot and CT who both heartily recommended the show, and to the others who did that I somehow managed to forget.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:01 pm

Don't worry, I wasn't among them. And be prepared for some dissapointments down the road. While overall the show was great it DID have its low points.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:02 pm

Batman wrote:Don't worry, I wasn't among them. And be prepared for some dissapointments down the road. While overall the show was great it DID have its low points.

My expectations for scifi shows are rather low at the moment, so I can forgive some moments where the writing staff was obviously passing around a joint.

The high points and the subtleties they pay attention to more than make up for it.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:48 pm

Don't say I didn't warn you.
But overall, yes, B5 is a SciFi series absolutely positively definitely worth watching.

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:17 am

Low points? what low points? You mean season 5 after certain events involving the Psi Corps? (The events involving the psi corps though are awesome)

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:09 am

I deeply enjoy most of Bab-5 it's a damn well written series that doesn't get lost wondering around pointlessly. I appreciate that.

On the flip side while the Shadow Servent Race of Doom was fun (Draka? Drahk?) it was kinda silly recycling. Not to mention they were as subtle as a battleaxe to the face.

It would have been more interesting if you had a subtle more diplomatic race deciding to try and turn one of the major powers into a new bastion of darkness (maybe flip the Warrior Caste? The Narns? Earth Alliance? Let's face it everyone had weaknesses that could be opened to temptation...)

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:12 pm

This series is an inspiration for my own writing, particularly as it pertains to my own scifi universe. Babylon 5's writer(s) were students of mythology and sociology, this much was obvious.

I'm still waiting for disks 2 through 5 of Season 3 through Netflix, though they won't be here until Tuesday now. Dammit.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:45 pm

Well. I've finally made it to near the end of Season 4, with Ep. 22 left to watch.

This show truly shows the difference between writing a show from episode to episode, and writing it all out beforehand. I'm quite impressed so far.

I have not yet watched any of the movies, and likely will not until after I finish watching at least Season 4.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:01 pm

Alot of those movies are hit or miss at best. Just to let you know man.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:51 pm

And, frankly, ALL of them can safely be ignored if you watched all of the series. I personally liked TG and ItB and ItB did a nice job of summing up the background of the Earth-Minbari war but there's little information in it that isn't in the series. ActA was fun but did little but set the stage for Crusade which went nowhere fast. Thirdspace was fun too but again contributed zilch to the B5 storyline and River of Souls I can't even remember which probably says something about its relevance in and of itself.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:51 pm

frigidmagi wrote:Alot of those movies are hit or miss at best. Just to let you know man.

Thanks - I've heard that from most people. I'll leave them as an option of watching instead of a necessity, as few of them seem to be a) good quality or b) not trying to start a new series.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:50 pm

River of Souls had to do the Soul Hunters and what not. I would actually recommend that one, Third Space left me cold honestly and avoid Legend of the Rangers at all cost.

Isn't The Gathering just the pilot of the series?

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:01 pm

It is. I said I LIKED it. NOT that it was in any way important.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:53 pm

That's fair, a good number of the characters in the pilot disappear and are never seen again anyways.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:06 pm

I forgot the smiley again didn't I.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:19 am

I could never finish watching The Gathering. It always seemed to me too goofy from what I did see of it to sit still and watch the remainder. "Midnight on the firing line" was a better introduction to the series and the character, and it was done in 40 mins.

Of the TV movies, only In The Beginning is well worth the sit-down-and-watch. Thirdspace is ok, but I never saw River of Souls. A Call to Arms has the sin of being part of Crusade, which was godawful. JMS certainly peaked his creativity with B5.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:38 pm

Alright, I've watched seasons 1-4, and watched the season finale for season 5.

I must say, season 5's finale was an excellent sendoff of the series; season 4's final episode was cool, but more...odd; especially with the "lol humans are Vorlons now" implication with dude, dude turning into pure energy, and pure energy inhabiting a Vorlon-like encounter suit.

I've yet to watch season 5, but given the damning-with-faint-praise most people have given it, I'm almost inclined not to. I've gleaned what I wanted from the series, and for that I'm grateful.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:03 pm

The season 4 final came about because their network had dropped them and they thought they were gonna be canceled.

As for the Vorlon thing, keep in mind that in Bab5 evolution is pretty much set. If your species advances enough you will all become glow lights, no if's or buts. Most of the 1st ones are like that and even the Shadows don't seem entirely physical. It's not anywhere close to being in line with scientific evolution but whatever.

Season 5 was fun for me, but it was a bit anti-climatic. All the really big stuff has happened and the things hinted at and implied in season 5 are never really followed through. I would watch it but don't get to drawn in.

That fricken hippie telepath annoys the fuck out of me to.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:00 pm

Byron annoys everyone. I tell you what though, you need to watch Season 5 because of the latter half of the season. I won't spoil it. But it's definitely a must-see (if only you could ignore the telepath arc...)

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:38 pm

Ok, I tried the first two episodes of season 5, and...yeah, I'll have to try again later.

In any case - the show was space opera in grand tradition, replete with mythos, legend, and the plot threads of mortals taking on gods at their own game - and learning how to win. Much impressed me about this series' writing (not so much the acting or sets or budget, though each had their moments).

It had the feel that the universe certainly had its weight of (future) history, which is something few other scifi shows I've seen had.

I have not watched any of the movies, and at this point, don't have any plans to. After having seen seasons 1-4, and season 5's finale (which really should've been at the end of season 4), I feel as if I have seen what Babylon 5 is and was all about.

And right now I feel that with all the "reimaginings" that're going on of old TV shows and movies now, doing the same with Babylon 5's script could be awesome.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:27 pm

Speak for yourself. I'd rather have B5 remain its flawed self than somebody doing an nBSG version of it.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:20 pm

Batman wrote:Speak for yourself. I'd rather have B5 remain its flawed self than somebody doing an nBSG version of it.

...Dammit, you're right. American TV would turn it into Shiny Object crap.

Ah well. I'll have to give it tribute in my writing, then.

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:23 pm

Stofsk wrote:Byron annoys everyone. I tell you what though, you need to watch Season 5 because of the latter half of the season. I won't spoil it. But it's definitely a must-see (if only you could ignore the telepath arc...)

I actually LIKED the telepath arc. Bester, Talia (Poor Talia), and to a lesser extent Lyta were some of my favorite characters in the series. To see them really developed and to see the prelude to the Telepath War was really cool.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:46 pm

Problem with the Telepath arc is it never got FINISHED. Yes, I know that was done in the novels but it WASN'T in the series.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:17 pm

CT, are you saying you liked Byron?

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Ok, so babylon 5 is awesome

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