NumbahWon Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Babylon 5 is great scifi, it should not be missed by any serious scifi lover. the first four seasons were written together as one epic, the 5th season was an afterthought yet enjoyable still Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumbahWon Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Yowza. No gripe against the forum. And I agree, I either like it (the show) or I don't. A lot of TV shows start out slow. Is this one of them? There are a few negative posts on this already. Wanting to know if the nay-sayers saw the whole thing. (I'm up to three eps) I guess that post did come off a bit troll-ish, eh. Really wasn't my intention. I legitimately was looking for an answer. You might not know, that Sinclair has a very special role in Babylon 5, and he will disappear for quite awhile, there are some cliffhangers that arc across more than a couple seasons, the first 4 seasons are all one long epic story. also, ambassadors/diplomats often DO get ugly, even in real life, and especially if there are existing grudges (I'm assuming you were referring to some narn v/s centauri thing *shrug*)... I do believe you should give it some time before you judge it, like maybe 4 seasons worth of time... having said that, you're entitled to like or hate what you will, and to each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonyman Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 . "The first four seasons were written together as one epic, the 5th season was an afterthought. " False. There's a great big fat setup for season 5 right smack in the middle of the Franklin/Lyta scene on Mars in season 4's "The Face of the Enemy." We busted our butts to get year 5, same as we do every year (though moreso this year), because it would be *the most satisfactory way to end the story*. I didn't fight this hard to do a season of filler. I planned all along to do 5 years. Before the war (1). During the war (2/3/4). And after the war (5). And that's exactly what you got. jms jms(at)b5.com Source: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated archives Babylon 5 = New York City. Plus a small U.N. council with 5 dominant Aliens who lead the U.N. And a bunch of tiny ones w/ little influence. Surrounded by a million shopkeepers and other civilizans. B5 = NYC in Space. - In the Beginning Movie = The best place to start (Says JMS the creator of the show). - The Gathering aka Episode 0 = Go here next. - Season 1 = crap (my humble opinion). Skip all except "Signs and Portents" & the finale. - - Season 2 = The Coming of Shadows - Season 3 = Point of No Return - Season 4 = War Without End - Season 5 = No Surrender, No Retreat - - Seasons 2/3/4/5 = The best stuff. It's not just entertainment. It's philosophy. Like Shakespeare or Dickens. Babylon 5 is my favorite show, tied with Deep Space Nine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumbahWon Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 . "The first four seasons were written together as one epic, the 5th season was an afterthought. " False. There's a great big fat setup for season 5 right smack in the middle of the Franklin/Lyta scene on Mars in season 4's "The Face of the Enemy." We busted our butts to get year 5, same as we do every year (though moreso this year), because it would be *the most satisfactory way to end the story*. I didn't fight this hard to do a season of filler. I planned all along to do 5 years. Before the war (1). During the war (2/3/4). And after the war (5). And that's exactly what you got. jms jms(at)b5.com Source: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated archives Babylon 5 = New York City. Plus a small U.N. council with 5 dominant Aliens who lead the U.N. And a bunch of tiny ones w/ little influence. Surrounded by a million shopkeepers and other civilizans. B5 = NYC in Space. - In the Beginning Movie = The best place to start (Says JMS the creator of the show). - The Gathering aka Episode 0 = Go here next. - Season 1 = crap (my humble opinion). Skip all except "Signs and Portents" & the finale. - - Season 2 = The Coming of Shadows - Season 3 = Point of No Return - Season 4 = War Without End - Season 5 = No Surrender, No Retreat - - Seasons 2/3/4/5 = The best stuff. It's not just entertainment. It's philosophy. Like Shakespeare or Dickens. Babylon 5 is my favorite show, tied with Deep Space Nine. I guess this is where I take your word for it, since I don't really care, a friend of mine likes B5 so much he refuses to watch anything else, and he has a book about the show that quotes JMS as saying the 5th season was written after and apart fromt he first four, they weren't sure if there'd be funding for a fifth season, etc... he uses that as a point to why he doesn't like the fifth seasons, personally, I liked the fifth season, so rarely do we get a 'it's good to be king' view of things, 'oh? call the whitestar fleet in on that problem." 'oh yeah? tell the rangers I said get a move on.', etc ;-/ I didn't consider that mediocre at all, most big epics end where the struggle ends, was it hans solo and leia? whoever is always paired up at the end of those big epics, you never actually get to see them rule... in any case, there's two apparently contradictory statements by JMS, assuming both sources are correct, oh well, he's a paid fictional writer, e.g. human, even if it was his mistake, he could still be cooler than Joss Whedon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebrae Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 TY9 - Judging B5 - which is a "video novel" - by its pilot and first 2 episodes is akin to reading the first chapter of a novel and then disguarding it. Season 1 takes a while to get going. 2-4 are gold... although season 4 really goes a million miles an hour and I honestly don't care what JMS said, season 4 felt rushed. Season 5 is really quite dull and only returns to form with the last episode. They only needed a half season to conclude post-war... but thems the breaks. I honestly don't think that if you stuck with DS9 for the slow first 2-3 season, you could manage B5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonyman Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 This was always a five year story. All I did was move episode 501-503 into episodes 420-422 so we could close up the Earth Civil War story and provide closure to that part of it if there wasn't a season 5. That's it. Minor adjustment. Much smaller than the major change when Sinclair was removed. The major stuff that happens with the Centauri in the second half of season 5 won't matter, wouldn't play as well, and wouldn't have the same impact without the Telepaths in the first half. They are part and parcel. This was what I wanted to do with the fifth season, this is precisely what I worked out, and once again it has to do with process, and change, and how one new set of events rises out of the ashes of the last one. Frankly, the second half of season 5 represent some of the very best work we've ever done, but they wouldn't have NEARLY the impact, if we hadn't done what was done in the first half of this season. jms source: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated From: J. Michael Straczynski Date: 2/24/1996 5:41:00 PM [Written during Season 3] FitzGeralds <103571.3245@compuserve.com> asks: > Is that the plan to only have it on for five years? Yes, the story lasts just five years, then bye-bye. And thanks.... jms source: jmsnews.com archives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhuk Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Watch in this order The Gathering (pilot movie) The Series (all 5 seasons) In The Beginning (2nd movie, essentially a prequel to the series, but as it gives away some very important details you shouldn't know about till after you've watched the series you wouldn't want to watch it before you've actually watched through the series) Thirdspace (3rd movie, retroactively set during the timeline of the series, but as it's a standalone story unrelated to the show's main story arc it's probably more trouble than it's worth to pinpoint exactly which episodes it's set between to watch everything completely chronologically) The River of Souls (4th movie, set sometime after the main events of the series) A Call To Arms (5th movie, set sometime after River of Souls) Crusade (spinoff series, followup to the events in Call To Arms) Legend of the Rangers (6th movie, pilot to another proposed spinoff series that SciFi decided not to fund and so never got made) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebrae Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Do you have a point, Anonyman? A relevant one at least, quote that passage as much as you like I'm not talking about his INTENTIONS I'm talking about how the pacing actually felt. You basically have a thousand things going on in season 4 and then it's "Ooo, telepaths!". Which wasn't helped by the fact that they traded out several major characters. [sarcasm]I know I'd spent 4 years waiting for Zack Allan to get some major screentime![/sarcasm] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonyman Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 All I did was move episode 501-503 into episodes 420-422 so we could close up the Earth Civil War story and provide closure to that part of it' date=' if there wasn't a season 5. That's it. Minor adjustment. [/quote'] Minor adjustment. And it's not the show's fault that Ivanova/Claudia Christian refused to renew her contract (quit). To blame the creators for Claudia's quitting is to blame the wrong person. -----> Besides all the other major characters Lyta Dr.Franklin Londa Vir G'Kar Delenn Lennier Sheridan Garibaldi were still there. And finally I was mainly refuting the claim "season 5 was an afterthought" which is flat false. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebrae Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Of course one can't account for what actors do... although quite frankly, I'm always perplexed as to why these people leave. You're already typecast and chances are you won't get anything as good again but anyway - where did I blame JMS for that? It's just something that didn't help season 5 and added to its general malaise. Feel free to refute away though - I'm never said it WAS an afterthought I merely stated that it felt like one. Hence, I was not and am not claiming to know JMS's intent. I'm sorry for not making that more clear. It is my opinion (I do hope that's suitably unambigious) that season 5 of B5 felt like too little story for too many episodes. This is presumably why so many fans have the misconception that season 5 was JMS suddenly faced with the prospect of an entire season to fill after having wrapped everything up due to the prospect of impending cancellation. Furthermore, season 5 didn't feel like it was winding down... it was more akin to the kind of rapid decleration one might associate with an automobile meeting a wall at high speed. Season 4 was good but it never stopped to take a breath and so it felt like JMS was rushing... even if he wasn't. All I know is that in my opinion, the show would almost certainly have been better if season 4 had been stretched out and season 5 compressed. For me, outside of the awesometastic finale, season 5 was a real disappointment and kind of a letdown after what had come before. Any questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonyman Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I'm never said it WAS an afterthought I merely stated that it felt like one. Okay cool. I like season 5. I liked the stand-alone stuff about invading aliens & "a day in the life of two B5 janitors". AND I liked watching the telepaths burn & enjoyed watching Londo get enslaved to his Shadow Keeper. I like tragedies. Overall S5 was much better than the crap that was season 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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