Some good ideas, some less good ideas, 1 really bad idea. Do not reboot Babylon 5.
I watched the show way back in the late '90s when I was just a Star Trek kid, and just loved the fresh new look at science fiction that B5 offered. I was a bit too young to get all the political intrigue and subtlety to the character arcs and interactions, I just knew I loved the aliens and the space battles and Mr. Garibaldi.
Now I just discovered last year that my library has the whole series and all the movies, and I rewatched it with my friend. I was really hoping that it was as good as I remembered, and even with my expectations high I was blown away with how great a show it is. It's more ambitious than almost any tv show dares to be even today, and pulls it off pretty successfully. The acting is top notch, the makeup is leagues better than anything else on at the same time, the scope of the series is huge and still manages to stay personal, the characters are some of the most memorable in science fiction. It's one of the best shows I've ever watched.
So now that it's over, no, it does not need a remake or a reboot or a reimagining or a re-anything. It was JMS's vision, and even if it didn't go off perfectly according to that because of the unfortunate realities of television production and the quest for ratings, that is okay. It is still just about the best it could have been. And if they remade it now, JMS probably would be tangentially involved as a "supervising producer" or something, his role as creative director handed off to someone who the networks think is sexy right now, like J.J. Abrams or one of his "Lost" cronies.
This is not a show that ever needs to be done again. It is a beautiful anomaly in the vast and empty outer space of television science fiction programming. Nothing else quite like it exists, and no one could ever do a "better" or "improved" version of it, it just would never happen. The charm of the original would be lost, our favorite characters would be replaced by other actors who, at best, could only approximate the heights they have already reached. And what would it be about? Would it tell the same story? The one with no surprises left in it for anyone who saw the first show? Or would this be a totally new story with new characters in the same universe? They tried that, actually, and it went very poorly.
Namehere said:
Babylon 5 was a great show in my opinion, hampered by limitations in CG. And I admit, I'd love to see a remastered version of the original, but I doubt a reboot would really be possible. The show's survival through out its run was a miracle, and it's successor didn't last more then half a season. A real shame to, I doubt many fans of Babylon 5 didn't like Crusades and some of my friends who weren't fond of the lack of action in Babylon 5 really embraced the new show. They canceled Crusades, as I understand it, because the studio behind it didn't feel it's characters were 'sexy enough'. They handed down the ultimatum, sex it up or call it quits... No more Crusades. I think a remastered B5 and a rebooted Crusades might work. You could use the one to sell the other even. Sort of a big lead up hype event.
Now that's an idea, at least one with some sense. Crusade hardly even got out of the gate, but I thought it had promise. This is something I could get excited for. Just please, don't mess with our Babylon 5. It's one of the last unsullied gems we have left.
