The reason I’m asking is instead of just giving it a go is it isn’t available to stream in my region. So I would have to acquire it in some other way if I give it a go.
I have never seen it before. I’m not a huge sci-fi fan or anything. I watched some Star Trek: TNG and liked it just fine. Do not like OG Star Trek at all.
I just landed on the B5 wikipedia page and the synopsis intrigued me.
Has it aged ok or does it feel like old? I don’t care all that much if the effects or make up is a bit dated. It’s more that the acting and storylines in 90’s tv shows isn’t always the greatest.
Is it heavy handed with trying to give the viewer moral lessons like some older shows tend to?
Also not looking for a action show nor do I care all that much about shocking story twists that newer media tends to lean on.
So TLDR I guess: Is the story and acting good?
I know it’s hard to recommend things to people you don’t know so any kind of input would be appreciated.
B5 is fantastic.
Let me start with the bad though: The CGI, especially the spaceship CGI in the first couple of seasons is bad. Really, really, really bad. Like listen, I have a high tolerance for bad scifi CGI (I watch Starhunter!) and I can tell you in some of the space battle scenes I literally can’t keep track of what is happening sometimes. The CGI improves in the later seasons, but it goes from “I don’t understand what I’m even seeing” to “Playstation 2 cutscene” level.
Ok, that’s mainly it. If you can get past that, it is an amazing show. The most impressive thing it does is character growth. There are characters that you start out hating who end up becoming very sympathetic. There are characters who make face heel turns and it never feels unearned.
One amazing thing about the show is the running dispute between two alien races which is very similar to the Cardassians vs Bajorans in Star Trek Deep Space 9. To me, in DS9 I never really liked the Bajorans as a people, I know that I was supposed to but for various reasons I kind of just didn’t care about them. In Babylon 5, I really care about the conflict and about the ambassadors from each species and what they are going through, and how their personal and professional relationship evolves. It was very smart to make the ugly alien reptile species the one which was being unjustly oppressed.
Without going on too much longer, the setting of the show is strong. You can see how dystopian earth is and how principled the main human cast is, and how every so often those distant dystopian tendrils from the earth government start reaching into the affairs of the show.
As a side note, if you like Star Trek TNG but don’t like the “moral of the week” kind of thing, I do highly recommend Star Trek Deep Space 9. Great acting, very good effects that hold up well, and a fun cast of characters. A little slow in the beginning but once the main conflicts start kicking off it starts feeling very modern in how the story arcs are presented. Worf returns from TNG, but DS9 actually finds a purpose for his character and he really gets to shine.
Another great reply! Thanks man!
This show does seem like my kinda deal. I don’t think I will mind the effects. If being honest I kinda hoped there wouldn’t be any space battles in it. Not to many I hope. I am really looking for more of a drama than a action show.
Is there any kind of “slice-of-life onboard the station” elements in it. The thing that stuck out to me in the snippet I read about the show was that it portrayed how individuals were affected by bigger events in the story.I think I’ll check out DS9 too. One thing I learned is when people describe movies and shows as “a little slow” I tend to like them.
The space battles are mainly just in the beginning as flashbacks to inform the setting, and the later in the end of the show. The bulk of the show is attempts at diplomacy mixed up with some cosmic mystery, so I wouldn’t exactly call it slice of life but it is more thoughtful than just blasting away at things. There are often battles but they have a habit at least in the middle of happening distantly and the main cast having to deal with the political fallout.
DS9 has some slice of life episodes, I actually just listed my two favorite episodes in another thread and both of them are slice of life with one being very emotionally impactful and the other extremely silly. DS9 has such well defined main and reoccurring characters that you can combine any two of them in a scene and get an entertaining outcome, and the show leans on that a lot.
It’s crazy that they made all the CGI with Amiga computers.
You seem like maybe someone who would love the anime Planetes, or the manga (the anime’s good but the manga is much longer). It’s a near-future scifi about a crew who clean up space debris, and there was obviously a heck of a lot of research put into it. It’s the most realistic portrayal of space travel I know of in an animated show, and mostly slice-of-life. It’s not a very “anime” anime either, if you’re not normally one for anime.
Ok, so I don’t like most anime I tried watching, but as you described it as not very anime, I looked it up and it seemed kinda neat. I borrowed the first season from the internet and just watched the first two episodes.
So far it’s really good, thanks a bunch for the rec! I would never have found this show and given it a chance on my own.
Also when I looked it up I saw it described as hard science fiction. Never heard that term before. After some cursory research I think this might be the kind of sci-fi for me.
Oh my lord YES! It’s one of the best Sci-Fi series to have been made to date and worth every penny should you buy it.
I suggest this retrospective on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FfKOubWE14
Same Youtuber also did all the Star Trek films and series.
No spoilers I hope?
it’s a matter of perspective. I think having some proper expectations exceed any damage done by spoilers.
Point taken. Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out.
I just (re)-watched it recently, so I feel qualified to answer. I’d seen much of it during its original run, so I knew a lot of the broader story, but I still enjoyed watching it and would recommend it. If you get to the end and Londo & G’Kar aren’t your favourites, I don’t think we can be friends.
Has it aged ok or does it feel like old?
There’s definitely the occasional wooden acting and cardboard set, particularly in the early stuff. It’s more about the story though. There’s a remastered version out, with the original effects upscaled.
According to Engadget:
Babylon 5 Remastered has been scanned from the original camera negative. The film sequences were scanned in 4K and then “finished,” or downscaled, back to HD, with a dirt and scratch clean-up, as well as color correction. The show’s CGI and composite sequences, meanwhile, have been digitally upscaled to HD with only some minor tweaks where absolutely necessary.
Before that there was a widescreen version that you should avoid - it wasn’t meant to be broadcast like that and you can see e.g. actors not in that scene watching their colleagues.
There’s some extra stuff as well - TV movies and spin off series. I’d have to look at the titles to remind me what was worth it, but in summary some of the movies were worth it and Crusade is not.
I really liked the first season which it´s supposedly the worst of the series so I think I´ll be fine for the rest of the seasons. I should be starting season 2 soon.
Haven’t seen it for ages but it looked incredibly cheap at the time. Great story though especially the relationship between the two ambassadors (can’t remember their names)
I’m gonna give it a go. I can handle cheap looking. It’s more often the shallow storylines and writing in '90s shows that scare me away. In the post I said acting but I think its more about the dialog and writing in general that tend to be a turn off for me.
TBH the acting of a few characters and writing is a tad rough in the first season, but it gets immensely better. Like any Star Trek or sci-fi show, you have to push through the first season as it introduces you to the world, characters, relationships, and storylines. But I assure you, it is worth it to continue through as seasons 2-4 really open up the depth of the stories and characters, providing an enjoyable viewing experience.
I’ll keep that in mind and make sure to not give up on it to early if it doesn’t grab me at first.