Reasons to watch Babylon 5?

[dscross]

I know there are a lot of Babylon 5 fans on here and I would like to hear some reasons why the show is so good to give me some incentive to watch it. For context, my favourite sci-fi show is Farscape (and Red Dwarf I suppose, but that's more of a comedy). I like and have seen all the Star Trek episodes in every incarnation and I enjoyed them a lot, but, in my eyes, it pales in comparisons to Farscape. I could never get into Stargate. Tried twice.

So, with that insight into my sci-fi tastes, would I like Babylon 5 and can you give me your thoughts and opinions about what type of show it is compared to other sci-fis, what makes it good and why someone should watch it.

Cheers.

 

[EvilRoy]

I always considered B5 a cross between farscape and DS9 if that sells it for you. It has decent conflict and lasting consiquenses to story lines but also lighthearted stuff here and there. Similar to farscape (less similar to DS9) they really lean on the fact that you can have new aliens come to the station and do stuff and just be unique.

Its also brighter than both colour scheme wise, which I prefer a lot.

Hmm. Its been years though its hard to say much else.

 

[sXeth]

Its similar to Deep Space Nine, but with a bit more diverse focus (whereas DS9 tended to mainly revolve around Humans, Bajorans, and Cardassians) given its own premise. Also it felt a bit fresh and less ingrained in status quo. B5 is still exploring a humanity in its growing stages coming into space, and its relations with other races and so on, where DS9 was centuries into an established state.

 

[Squilookle]

I'd also be keen to hear reasons why Babylon 5 is meant to be good.

And dscross- which Stargates did you try to get into? I never much cared for Atlantis and Universe, but the movie and SG-1 are true classics.

 

[DarthCoercis]

Babylon 5 is a brilliant show. The stories are (mostly) great, there are tiny details hidden in early episodes that will have ramifications in later ones, the characters are all well written and protrayed... gawds, I could rave about the show for a long time.

While the 3d shows its age (mid-90s), the rest of the show has held up incredibly well. JMS is a hell of a world-builder and story-teller.

 

[Hawki]

Pros

-Great characters that you care for and develop over time.

-Great worldbuilding - even if it's stuck on a space station most of the time, you get a good sense of how the universe operates, and where everything is in relation to each other

-By extension, great practical effects for the aliens. Each of the major ones is fleshed out, and is given a strong sense of culture.

-Serialized storytelling, but with good stand-alone episodes as well.

-It's the #1 sci-fi series I've seen (which is a pro in of itself...shadup, it is!)

Cons

-CGI hasn't aged well

-Some hookey acting at the start of season 1 - takes about 4 episodes (give or take) to find its feet, but it does resurge sometimes in later seasons.

-Arguably trope heavy (e.g. main enemies are called "the Shadows"...yeah)

-If you like "hard" sci-fi, you might be put off, as it does use tropes that are used in fantasy (light and dark motifs)

 

[Kyrian007]

Mostly its because it tells a complete story. Most series begin when someone pitches a decent idea for a show... and then it gets written by committee until its quality completely degrades and its canceled. B5 was different. B5 was a completely storyboarded concept from start to finish, with the episode writing just filling in the blanks between major plot lines. And those blanks were filled in by a talented writing staff. So unlike most shows B5 starts pretty good... and just gets better and better.

Now, it outlived its end... that's a problem. Anyone watching it can leave it at season 5 and really only miss about 1 and a half good episodes. But, by that time most people love it so much they will watch that last season anyway.

What I liked about it, it was like Star Trek... except its mix of humor into the drama was much more well done and the humor was at times pretty dark (Vir and his "little wave" comes to mind.)

And I rewatched it recently. Its effects really aren't that bad, depending on expectations. I'm one of those people who expects that after the bombastic splendor people see on tv and in movies... the reality of space travel and the technology level surrounding it will probably be a little underwhelming visually anyway. It just adds to the "tin can in space" realistic atmosphere as opposed to Star Trek's sterile "still the safest way to travel, let's put our children on the ship" atmosphere.

It is a little difficult to compare it to other sci-fi though. In a lot of ways it is a little too unique for a comparison to be descriptive. Its a political drama, but the races involved have their parallels to real societies jumbled up to lessen verisimilitude. There's an empire on its last legs... maybe Austria/Hungary before WW1, kind of. There's a race on the rise that had been until recently subjugated, and are over ambitious and warlike but have a surprisingly zen religion that only some follow... parallels to Israel and Palestine there really. There's a pretty superior race that is very zenophobic with a rigid religion and caste system, a kind of indo-Chinese mix with tech far advanced maybe. And another VERY advanced race that is mysterious and near completely isolationist... Wakanda-ish? And that's just the alien races. Humans are pretty split between Marsies and Earthers and are the backwater bumpkins of the galaxy who until recently could just barely travel beyond their own star system. The humans are finishing rebuilding after a war where they got their teeth kicked in, very nearly genocided into extinction over a misunderstood first contact with a faaarrr superior race.

 

[StatusNil]

"Understanding is a three-edged sword."

It's great, DS9 is actually an inferior rip-off. And some would argue Mass Effect too.