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Been hearing that this show is a little...slow and cheesy True?

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    Been hearing that this show is a little...slow and cheesy True?

    I am in a dire need of new sci-fi material. Unfortunately, typical of the syfy channel, they keep pumping out low budget crap which fails to impress me and kinda gives a horrible impression to the sci-fi genrel.

    So I read up on babylon 5. Is it cheesy? slow from the first 2 seasons? That's what I heard from the fans.

    #2
    Originally posted by globex View Post
    I am in a dire need of new sci-fi material. Unfortunately, typical of the syfy channel, they keep pumping out low budget crap which fails to impress me and kinda gives a horrible impression to the sci-fi genrel.

    So I read up on babylon 5. Is it cheesy? slow from the first 2 seasons? That's what I heard from the fans.
    I wouldn't call it cheesy myself. Some might think so but it is very much a product of the nineties. Having said that, while the 1st season is fairly slow, the rest are pure gold and the characters and story are top notch.

    Think of it like The Lord of The Rings in Space. That's the sort of level we're talking.
    Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

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      #3
      B5 doesn't have the "realism" or downright darkness of Battlestar Galactica. It's actors very much are of the stage drama variety. There's some cheesy comedy parts, but it's extremely well written to the point where it's mind boggling. And unfortunately if you're going to watch it, I don't want to explain that last sentence more than that until you've seen the whole thing.

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        #4
        Babylon 5 is freaking awesome. While the first season seems a bit weak on your first time through, you'll come to realize as the show goes on just how many seeds were planted then. Seasons 2-4 are absolutely epic. Season 5 is a miss for the first half of it, but then the show gets awesome again at the end.
        "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

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          #5
          Babylon 5, from season 1 to season 5 is done as one overall story. While Season 1 may be slow, it's similar to reading a book. It basically sets up all the major players, the back story and starts to set things in motion but once you get into season 2, I think people really get into it.

          Season 1 by itself is enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but it's my personal opinion that seasons 3 and 4 were the best. JMS (short for J. Michael Straczynski, the creator) did the show in a way that was very much like a predecessor to shows like Lost, Heroes, Alias, shows that have one long, overall story going on. Season 1 will introduce things that you may not pay attention to at first, but then in later seasons, those small things have major impacts on the show.

          It's a fantastic series and JMS really put some thought into the little stones that when started, would roll into huge snowballs.

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            #6
            I don't actually find Season 1 all that slow, to be honest. A bit stiff, perhaps, but if you compare it to the first season of DS9, it actually comes out better because they're doing a lot more worldbuilding, establishing stuff, and the characters have a better grip on who they are from the getgo. Season 2 is better, but doesn't really take off until the final four episodes. Season 3 is great, season 4 is unendingly brilliant from end to end, and season 5 sucks, but manages to recover in the last six episodes or so.

            Basically, it's like this
            First year: This is our new universe, and welcome to it
            Second Year: Now that you're familiar with the place, there are some dark things a-brewin'
            Third year: This is how things fall apart
            Fourth Year: This is the lowest ebb, from which point we start to take back what was ours
            Fifth Year: Theoretically we build a new world, but in actual fact we just sit around and stare at each other for weeks on end.
            Sincerely,

            Kevin Long
            (The Artist Formerly Known As Republibot 3.0)
            http://www.kevin-long.com

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              #7
              Originally posted by Republibot 3.0 View Post
              I don't actually find Season 1 all that slow, to be honest. A bit stiff, perhaps, but if you compare it to the first season of DS9, it actually comes out better because they're doing a lot more worldbuilding, establishing stuff, and the characters have a better grip on who they are from the getgo. Season 2 is better, but doesn't really take off until the final four episodes. Season 3 is great, season 4 is unendingly brilliant from end to end, and season 5 sucks, but manages to recover in the last six episodes or so.

              Basically, it's like this
              First year: This is our new universe, and welcome to it
              Second Year: Now that you're familiar with the place, there are some dark things a-brewin'
              Third year: This is how things fall apart
              Fourth Year: This is the lowest ebb, from which point we start to take back what was ours
              Fifth Year: Theoretically we build a new world, but in actual fact we just sit around and stare at each other for weeks on end.
              very good description though I believe season five is off

              It is a bit slow at parts, but when it gets going it is really worth it

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                #8
                Originally posted by Col.Foley View Post
                very good description though I believe season five is off

                It is a bit slow at parts, but when it gets going it is really worth it
                Fair enough. <G>

                What I don't get is why the show isn't currently in syndication anywhere. There's still a zillion TV stations looking to fill up their daytime broadcastin schedule...
                Sincerely,

                Kevin Long
                (The Artist Formerly Known As Republibot 3.0)
                http://www.kevin-long.com

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                  #9
                  if you watch for the story and the characters, it's fantastic.
                  Sometimes it's hard for people accustomed to modern cgi etc to look at it and not cringe but it really is well worth the watch
                  sigpic


                  SGU-RELATED FANART | IN YOUNG WE TRUST | FANDUMB

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                    #10
                    I'll admit it; I am a B5 elitist. I get so exhilarated watching Babylon 5, my favorite show of all time, for its complexity, characters, story, and yes, its effects, that I tend to elevate it to Godhood. Other shows for me inhabit a lower plane of sorts.

                    Slow?
                    Cheesy?

                    If by slow you mean that in order to gain the full climactic effect of Seasons 3 and 4 you must immerse yourself in Seasons 1 and 2, that have many "building" episodes (character development, set-up and foreshadowing left and right, and spoilers presented out of context), then perhaps.

                    As for cheesy, NO.

                    "What is built endures, and what is loved endures; and Babylon 5... Babylon 5 endures." - Delenn
                    sigpic
                    Watching now: Doctor Who Series 3/29 (rewatch) - The X-Files Season 2 (rewatch) - Pushing Daisies Season 1 - Torchwood Series 1 - Red Dwarf Series 8 - Battlestar Galactica Season 2 (rewatch) - Northern Exposure Season 3 (rewatch)

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Republibot 3.0 View Post
                      What I don't get is why the show isn't currently in syndication anywhere. There's still a zillion TV stations looking to fill up their daytime broadcastin schedule...
                      My understanding is that Warner Bros. is divided into different divisions that don't work together, but rather they work against each other so that they can get more money for their own projects. So Warner Bros. syndication division hates anything to do with the old PTEN network that was Warner Bros. first attempt at a different network from the big 3 (CBS, NBC, ABC.) Babylon 5, Time Trax, The new Kung Fu, and one or two others I have forgot were the shows that Warner Bros. sold to independant stations around the country as the PTEN. It fell apart towards the end of B5's 4th season and B5 got picked up by TNT.

                      So now Warner Bros. syndication division makes no attempt to try and get B5 any syndication deals. The last time I remember was The Sci-Fi Channel showing it and Crusade back in 2003 and maybe into 2004.

                      I definitely wonder why SyFy doesn't try and show B5 during the late afternoons Monday through Friday. I think it just could be that Warner Bros. is asking too much money.

                      Time will tell if it will be on TV again anytime soon.
                      Spoiler:
                      sigpic

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Ulkesh47 View Post
                        .....
                        If by slow you mean that in order to gain the full climactic effect of Seasons 3 and 4 you must immerse yourself in Seasons 1 and 2, that have many "building" episodes (character development, set-up and foreshadowing left and right, and spoilers presented out of context), then perhaps.
                        .....
                        "What is built endures, and what is loved endures; and Babylon 5... Babylon 5 endures." - Delenn
                        yes, this, exactly!
                        sigpic


                        SGU-RELATED FANART | IN YOUNG WE TRUST | FANDUMB

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                          #13
                          Take it from someone who is watching for the first time, it's worth it

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Redhooks View Post
                            My understanding is that Warner Bros. is divided into different divisions that don't work together, but rather they work against each other so that they can get more money for their own projects. So Warner Bros. syndication division hates anything to do with the old PTEN network that was Warner Bros. first attempt at a different network from the big 3 (CBS, NBC, ABC.) Babylon 5, Time Trax, The new Kung Fu, and one or two others I have forgot were the shows that Warner Bros. sold to independant stations around the country as the PTEN.
                            So now Warner Bros. syndication division makes no attempt to try and get B5 any syndication deals. The last time I remember was The Sci-Fi Channel showing it and Crusade back in 2003 and maybe into 2004.
                            Yeah, it's all byzantine intrigue at Warners. But still: they've paid for the show, everything from this point on is profit. You'd think an accountant would override divisional bias. They are a company, after all.
                            Originally posted by Redhooks View Post
                            I definitely wonder why SyFy doesn't try and show B5 during the late afternoons Monday through Friday. I think it just could be that Warner Bros. is asking too much money.

                            Time will tell if it will be on TV again anytime soon.
                            Probably because Syfy isn't really all that much into science fiction. ABC shows more SF than Syfy does. They can't even show their own programs in repeats consistently. Take this week, for instance: SGA on Monday and Tuesday, nothing on wednesday or thursday, back again on friday. Pre-empted all of last week for no darn reason.
                            Sincerely,

                            Kevin Long
                            (The Artist Formerly Known As Republibot 3.0)
                            http://www.kevin-long.com

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                              #15
                              Slow, very, but it's always building.

                              Cheesy? Not at all, especially when you compare it's far more realistic approach to humankind than say ST.

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