I’ve started rewatching Babylon 5
Season 1: Signs and Portents - 9/10
As with any series, especially one of, if not the, first serialised television shows on American television, its first season is largely spent world building with some episodes devoted to nought but that. However even in its early days, when this show was on, it was on.
The concerns the titular B5, a space station built and financed by several major series players but run by Earth Alliance military, that serves as a neutral port for trade, immigration and diplomacy. The presents a future of humanity that isn’t as utopian as Star Trek but a better shake than say, Blake’s 7 or Battlestar Galactica. Optimistic too since ten years prior to the show Earth and the human race were nearly wiped out by the Minbari.
The show has created some great alien races that sit in the canon of Sci-Fi as if not unique then at least engaging and interesting, my personal favourite are the Vorlons flaws and all. The principal cast was largely unchanged for the show's 5 year run with the notable exception of the station commander - this season stared Michael O’Hare as Cmdr Jeffrey Sinclair but sadly O’Hare suffered very, very badly from schizophrenia but despite offers from the creator/show runner to cease production for several months he refused, not wanting to kill the project stone dead and cause thousands of people to lose their jobs. This revelation was not made public for close to 20 years, JMS only revealing it in 2012 after O’Hare died. This knowledge gives some added depth and tragedy to the many scenes in which Sinclair is driven to the end of his rope or is psychologically played with. One wonders how much was acting and how much was just him feeling able to let lose some frustration and terror in a productive way.
The main cast acquit themselves well, though there is something peculiarly 90’s about some of the dialogue; for example it’s very common for characters to say something like “Does the phrase XYZ ring any bells?” when angry, even when the expression itself said in the correct tone would be sufficient. The show also has some things buried under layers of subtext and you wonder why are the bothering and then some CGI happens and your remember this came out in 1993 and it makes sense.
Visually the show is a little dated, and like lots of speculative television fiction that wasn’t Star Trek, did not foresee the rise of digital devices like tablets. Newspapers are still a thing in this show. However, while fidelity is a little limited, aesthetic and design is very much amazing. The standout being the Aurora Starfury space fighter.
If you love space opera, but haven’t seen this show, you owe it to yourself to sit and watch it. I believe it’s seasons are all on Amazon Prime.
Season 1: Signs and Portents - 9/10
As with any series, especially one of, if not the, first serialised television shows on American television, its first season is largely spent world building with some episodes devoted to nought but that. However even in its early days, when this show was on, it was on.
The concerns the titular B5, a space station built and financed by several major series players but run by Earth Alliance military, that serves as a neutral port for trade, immigration and diplomacy. The presents a future of humanity that isn’t as utopian as Star Trek but a better shake than say, Blake’s 7 or Battlestar Galactica. Optimistic too since ten years prior to the show Earth and the human race were nearly wiped out by the Minbari.
The show has created some great alien races that sit in the canon of Sci-Fi as if not unique then at least engaging and interesting, my personal favourite are the Vorlons flaws and all. The principal cast was largely unchanged for the show's 5 year run with the notable exception of the station commander - this season stared Michael O’Hare as Cmdr Jeffrey Sinclair but sadly O’Hare suffered very, very badly from schizophrenia but despite offers from the creator/show runner to cease production for several months he refused, not wanting to kill the project stone dead and cause thousands of people to lose their jobs. This revelation was not made public for close to 20 years, JMS only revealing it in 2012 after O’Hare died. This knowledge gives some added depth and tragedy to the many scenes in which Sinclair is driven to the end of his rope or is psychologically played with. One wonders how much was acting and how much was just him feeling able to let lose some frustration and terror in a productive way.
The main cast acquit themselves well, though there is something peculiarly 90’s about some of the dialogue; for example it’s very common for characters to say something like “Does the phrase XYZ ring any bells?” when angry, even when the expression itself said in the correct tone would be sufficient. The show also has some things buried under layers of subtext and you wonder why are the bothering and then some CGI happens and your remember this came out in 1993 and it makes sense.
Visually the show is a little dated, and like lots of speculative television fiction that wasn’t Star Trek, did not foresee the rise of digital devices like tablets. Newspapers are still a thing in this show. However, while fidelity is a little limited, aesthetic and design is very much amazing. The standout being the Aurora Starfury space fighter.
If you love space opera, but haven’t seen this show, you owe it to yourself to sit and watch it. I believe it’s seasons are all on Amazon Prime.
