While perusing around SlashControl tonight, I nearly stopped breathing when I came across Babylon 5. Not just a few episodes or even one or two seasons. All five seasons, 99 episodes total.
My sci-fi-loving mom taped the entire series on VHS, and I have the first few seasons on DVD. But what a thrill to find it on SlashControl. If you're not familiar with J. Michael Straczynski's groundbreaking show, it takes place in the year 2258, ten years after an Earth-Minbari War. Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) takes command of a giant five-mile-long cylindrical space station, orbiting a planet in neutral space.
The ship is a crossroads of interstellar commerce and diplomacy, and Sinclair -- replaced by Captain Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) in season two -- is tasked with establishing peace and prosperity between the various interstellar empires, while at the same time fighting forces from within the Earth Alliance and dealing with various quirky characters such as Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) and G'kar (Andreas Katsulas).
The parade of notable cast members who trailed through the ship includes Richard Biggs, Mira Furlan, Stephen Furst, Jerry Doyle, Claudia Christian, Jeff Conaway, Andrea Thompson and Tracy Scoggins.
First there was Star Trek and then the early Battlestar Galactica (circa 1970s), which while groundbreaking, were fairly smooth space adventures in the big scheme of things. Babylon 5, which ran from 1994 to 1998, really paved the way for the edgier, darker space dramas like Firefly, the Stargate shows, and the most recent Battlestar Galactica. Humans and aliens got into fist-fights, and personalities ranged from the serene Delenn to the hot-headed Garibaldi. It's really a fun show that takes you on quite the journey through its five year run.
Watch the pilot episode, "The Gathering," to get you started. Then check out the rest at SlashControl.
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-25-2009 @ 11:02AM
Vince said...
It was 110 episodes (5 x 22) not 99, as far as I remember.
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 11:16AM
Leroy said...
One of the best TV series I have seen. Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar gives, over the five years, one of TV's very best performances in one of the best character arcs ever written. Add in the fact that there are minor remarks dropped in the pilot that don't pay off until the last episode five years later and you have some of the best epic scale TV writing in history.
That's not to say that it's perfect. The acting is variable, particularly before the writers learned how to maximize each actor's potential. You also have to be able to buy into a writing style that reminds me very much of classic Hollywood drama and melodrama with portentous declarations and literary turns of phrase everywhere. Nonetheless, for depth of story, for complex human emotions and dilemmas, for a long string of amazing recurring and guest characters played by many of the greats from the entire history of science fiction (my personal favorite being Tim Choate as the time twisting alien Zathras) and you have a series everyone should see.
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 11:21AM
Paul McCall said...
"You also have to be able to buy into a writing style that reminds me very much of classic Hollywood drama and melodrama with portentous declarations and literary turns of phrase everywhere."
Nothing wrong with that, absolutely nothing. Beats the current TV show writing!
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 4:08PM
Will said...
It's a great show. I've been rewatching it on DVD. It looks like they have all 110 episodes up on the site now.
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 7:22PM
e said...
Overall the best sci fi show ever, nothing comes close. If anyone has seen any that are even close let me know. And no, BSG was not as good, not even close. And though I have seen every episode of every Star Trek show the writing and consistency wasn't there to the point that if I had anything to do with it the writers for ST would never work again. Oh, wait, there was Stargate SG1; that was fun but not as satisfying as B5.
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 4:36PM
Nathaniel said...
Awesome! I had been borrowing my roommate's friend's DVD's, but I never finished season 5. I got a little bored by the new storyline... but I'm not against trying to pick it up again. Good to know it's there!
Reply
10-26-2009 @ 3:05PM
Europa said...
Thanks Vince for correcting him on the episode number.
The first incarnation of BSG was a total rip off of Star Wars (one reason it failed). And how could you not mention Farscape when speaking of dark and edgy sci fi drama?
Reply