Babylon 5-best Sci-fi Ever?

[Seastallion]

I really liked Babylon 5, but I would hesitate to call it the best Sci-fi ever. There was some great storytelling, interesting political dynamics, and one of the best plays on the classic "good vs. evil" I've seen. It is too bad that Crusade got cancelled, because I would have been interested to see how the future of that genre developed. Oh, and I loved the idea of the Techno-mage...! That is great..!

[Darth Buddha]

Oh, and I loved the idea of the Techno-mage...! That is great..!

Especially with the revelation of just how they went about it as to be described in TMOS, which alas did not pan out. Poor JMS, how could his ego take such a blow.

[ToasterOnFire]

Bumping this thread up to ask a Q.

I love Babylon 5 and am currently browsing DVD stores to try and buy the entire series. However, the DVDs range from $70 to $90 each (!) and I can't find the entire series set for less than $360. Does anyone know of a reputable online site where I can find it cheaper? I would love to pay around $250 for the set if at all possible. (No bootlegs, please.) Thanks in advance, and feel free to PM me if you have any advice.

[david2708]

Bumping this thread up to ask a Q.

I love Babylon 5 and am currently browsing DVD stores to try and buy the entire series. However, the DVDs range from $70 to $90 each (!) and I can't find the entire series set for less than $360. Does anyone know of a reputable online site where I can find it cheaper? I would love to pay around $250 for the set if at all possible. (No bootlegs, please.) Thanks in advance, and feel free to PM me if you have any advice.

Go to happyhunter.com and type in Babylon5. It'll spew out the cheapest prices of the show across the globe.
Currently you can get it for $50 Australian on any of the online retail stores downunder. They're all quite reputable. Mind you, you need a multiformatted DVD player to view them as they are Region 4. If you are in the U.S., you'd also need a TV that can display PAL images along with the NTSC ones.
$50 Australian is roughly about $38 U.S. or 20 pounds for the UK.

[Ancient 1]

I absolutely loved Babylon 5
I think it was the first sci fi show I was really really passionate about that I had to watch ever episode and read the books etc.
The first few seasons were very well written and the effects at the time were awesome.
I don't think it is as good as Stargate, but certainly ranks as one of the best scifi shows in my opinion.

It was a great series. That's why I recored the entire series and the movies!

[Ouroboros]

It was better than average but as has been mentioned it was not without it's share of bad spots either.

The godifcation of Sheridan and the occasional samplings of truely bargain basement dialog would be my number one beefs. Also even though it's not really fair to judge it by todays standards a lot of the visual effects were quite, we'll say un-good, and do detract from the show in repeat viewings, strangly enough seemingly even more so than the even more dated visuals in Star Trek TOS. I can't really explain why it seems that way to me but it does.

I actually liked Sinclair better than Sheridan to. I never really bought Sheridan as his character I can't really put my finger on why. Also bald Deelen was better than human Deleen with a tumor.

Like a lot of shows do B5 also pretty much turned to **** in the end to. I know there's a good reason for why it did but that doesn't really change the fact that it did happen and needs to be taken into account when considering the whole show.

It's not the best sci-fi in my opinion either.

Of concluded series that I've watched from begining to end I'd have to give that title to Farscape followed by the shamefully chopped down Firefly.

[Easter Lily]

Before watching Firefly, I would've probably agreed that it was the best sci-fi show ever... purely on the basis of emplotment, dialogue and character development. Cheesy moments aside, I still think overall the dialogue on B5 is very hard to beat within and outside of the genre.

My initial impression of B5 was that it was made up of a rag tag of individuals and that the costume didn't sit terribly well on the characters but I enjoyed the engaging storylines and the depth of thought. As I became acquainted with the characters I soon forgot the rubber suits. B5 had something that very few scifi shows had in the past... multifaceted aliens... I was fascinated by their motivations and to this day I am still impressed at how JMS managed to keep a consistent hold over his characters and allowed them to go the full distance.

I agree with most people that the show came into its own in Season 2 and got very klunky in Season 5. The final season feels too much like an add-on. I felt the loss of

Spoiler:

Marcus and Ivanova

acutely and wasn't too impressed with the

Spoiler:

Marcus wannabe, Byron

in Season 5... There were still a few good things in Season 5, storywise but the wonderful team dynamic that previously held the ensemble together was not as apparent.
Admittedly the visual effects on B5 weren't the greatest and this becomes more painfully obvious in the short-lived Crusade. But then I don't think that one watches B5 for it's visual effects.

[Unas]

For visual effects, I believe B5 handled it well with the budget they had. Star Trek had more than twice the money but it consisted of reused clips. Often times, ST doesnt even show the battle. We just see a cast member pushing a button and hear a sound then s/he would turn to the captain and say "the attacker has fled/been destroyed".

Since the B5 series has been discussed I would now critique the movies:

Gathering: pilot movie, I've assume you seen it. Quite boring.

In the Beginning: prequel, my favorite B5 movie. Lots of action and backstory.

Thirdspace: lots of action but cheesy and unnecessary plot.

River of Souls: Boring. Doesnt contribute anything to the story except give some insight on a minor B5 race.

Call to Arms: a quasi-pilot for the spinoff, Crusade. The second best IMHO. There's an actual plot with action.

Legend of the Rangers: a pilot movie for another spinoff which never got off the ground. The special effects were very cheesy. I was rolling my eyes when the gunner was "punching" enemy ships.

Is Gathering included in the season 1 boxset? If it is, the only movie worth buying would be In the Beginning since it ties in nicely with B5 arc but it contains spoilers up to the end of season 3. Call to Arms has a cliffhanger ending that was suppose to end in Crusade, but since that show was canned, you might not want to invest your money in it.

Edit: It seems Gathering and In the Beginning are lumped together in a pilot boxset. There is another boxset that includes all the movies except for Legend of the Rangers. If only want the B5 arc movies get the pilot box.

[Nolamom]

Babylon 5's best overall point, in my opinion, was the 5 year story arc. Everything fit into the big picture - there was a plan and each episode had to take you a bit closer.

As for characters...I still love Zathras!

[BritAngie]

I loved Babylon 5. I think it's not the best but certainly one of the best sci fi shows out there. I also loved Crusade which had such great promise but was mucked about by tv execs who didn't know what they wanted from the show and wouldn't let JMS get on with it. TLOTR also had good promise too. Anyhow I do love the B5 universe.

[grendelsbayne]

I like B5, a lot, but best sci-fi ever? Against shows like DS9, SAAB, and Firefly? (To name just a few)

Don't make me laugh!

Actually, wait, I like laughing, go ahead and make me laugh.

[Frostfox]

Loved Sinclair.
ADORED Ivanova! She's up there with Kira Nerys as one of the best SF female characters in my book (good job they were in separate universes, I don't think any one universe is big enough for the two of them).
Loved K'Gar and Londo (and Londo's wives, of course!)
Loved Morden and Bester.
Didn't really warm to Sheridan or his missus.


When it was good it was very very good, when it was bad it was awful.

FF

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

I've never seen Firefly and, as with unfinished fanfic, I never intend to. I'll probably see the movie, though. I hope it is stand-alone-ish enough to understand....

As to B5. Still the best of all the SF that I've ever watched. It is the only series in this household that gets weekly attention and respect.(By that I mean that not a week goes by that one of us hasn't watched at least one ep from our DVD collection.) The concepts are classic, the aliens are as fresh the hundreth time around as the were the first, the anguish, the danger and the wonder are also still as fresh.

[AGateFan]

In my opinion Babylon 5 was the best Arc based Sci Fi show ever. I think Stargate is the best episodic Sci fi show ever. I really loved B5 and own all the seasons and all the movies. I would recommend it to anyone that likes good sci-fi but I do agree that the acting in pilot was pretty bad and season 1 had a few iffy eps (like any sci fi show). Season 5 was one big epilogue that did its job admirably...

Spoiler:

would have been better with CC.

[Matt G]

Best scifi of the 90s. Best scifi in my memory. Nuff said.