|
I haven't gone back and read the thread yet, but I just started B5 and will read along. I basically didn't know anything about it at all other than the DS9 connection, but drat I liked the beginning quite a bit. Only watched The Gathering and the first episode so far, but, Things I liked: -You can really feel that it's more planned out than any of the Star Trek shows - the world building is just vague enough to be interesting, but clearly leaves a lot of doors open for future stories. I can't wait to find out what actually happened to Babylon 4! I'm definitely getting big Mass Effect 1 vibes from a lot of this, especially WRT the Minbari. -Lots of attention to detail in general. Having different atmospheres and gravity environments for the different species was a nice touch. Going directly into dealing with things like banned technology and the evolution of ESP is extremely my poo poo. The Ivanova's mom scene was great. People having implants all over the place (loved the pretty creative suicide bomb implant with the arm cracking). -Very well-executed political setup. The first episode with the Narn invasion of the Centauri outpost laying out several themes that very much parallel the current Russia/Ukraine situation kinda knocked me on my rear end. That and the election of an obviously populist president in the background, great stuff that didn't age poorly at all. -I honestly don't mind the lack of a budget or CGI. I was born in the 80s so I can tell that it wasn't a cheap production at all by 1993 standards. Lots of extras, lots of different sets, lots of makeup and costuming. The aliens look really good compared to the much simpler style of most Star Trek species. Though the Centauri do look really stupid. The CGI isn't frequent enough to really be a problem, and it's honestly more charming than anything. -No forced office romances. I'm sure they'll get there. -BABCOM Things I didn't like: -The cast is pretty weak so far. Especially the commander - he's very wooden. I was surprised to see the cast shift so much between The Gathering and the first episode. Takashima was not a very good actress, but I actually liked the doctor quite a bit. I'm sure I'll grow to like Garibaldi, but right now he's just a Pretty Unremarkable Dude. The non-humans carry the show, love the Vorlon and I can tell Londo will be great despite his dumb hair. -Weird attempts at comedy, like G'kar's very strange, uh, crack at wooing the psychic lady or Garibaldi's obsession with Looney Tunes, it reminds me of some of the more annoying parts of The Orville (though the whole "second favourite thing in the galaxy" just turning out to be cartoons was pretty funny) - it's not overly grating, but it's definitely missing the mark. Ditto with Londo's assistant guy. Pretty small complaint overall, I like how serious the tone is for the most part, and I've survived worse with some of the early Ferengi parts of DS9. -The intro is REALLY goofy and amateurish. "THE NAME OF THE PLACE IS"... maybe it'll grow on me. Looking forward to watching more. I keep hearing that the first season is by far the weakest, so that sounds all good to me. Hakkesshu fucked around with this message at 13:00 on Feb 16, 2023 |
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 11:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 12, 2024 03:30 |
|
|
Hakkesshu posted:I haven't gone back and read the threat yet, but I just started B5 and will read along. I basically didn't know anything about it at all other than the DS9 connection, but drat I liked the beginning quite a bit. Only watched The Gathering and the first episode so far, but, A lot of people got strong Babylon 5 vibes from Mass Effect. And you haven't even seen all of the things that inspired ME, so the Mass Effect vibes will only increase as you continue to watch. The show is very well planned out. So if you're a fan of DS9, you will very likely enjoy B5. The show was also in parts quite prescient, especially in the political sphere, so expect to see more themes and arcs that remind you of real world events that happened after B5 concluded. Torrannor fucked around with this message at 11:54 on Feb 16, 2023 |
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 11:49
|
|
|
Hakkesshu posted:I haven't gone back and read the threat yet, but I just started B5 and will read along. I basically didn't know anything about it at all other than the DS9 connection, but drat I liked the beginning quite a bit. Only watched The Gathering and the first episode so far, but, The Commander always came across as a Broadway Theatre actor in style, character wise i always imagined him as constantly living with PTSD from the Battle of the Line. B5 influenced Mass Effect, that was confirmed by the game developers. Enjoy the journey. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 12:40
|
|
|
One of the reasons the show is great is that the story is evergreen. We will always be able to tie it to something in our lives because it's just...people being people.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 16:53
|
|
|
The B5 Star Trek podcast dudes posted a live reaction video for in The Shadow of Z’ha’dum and Nerds Mad. They spent the entire time making GBS threads all over the episode. it’s a piss take to make fun of the nerds who have been mad that they haven’t liked other, worse episodes. Chevy Slyme fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Feb 17, 2023 |
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 17:28
|
|
|
It was for "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum", actually. I wasn't mad about previous reviews, but I admit, I sat through 30+ minutes wondering if I should unsubscribe. Why watch if the hosts were so determined to be dicks about everything? I didn't find the joke funny. It was just frustrating.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 23:02
|
|
|
ozmunkeh posted:I tried to watch these guys because who doesn’t want more babylon5-related content to listen to. Bearded navy guy often comes out with some insightful commentary but dollar store Kenny Powers is just super insufferable. I didn’t make it too far. I like this lady's reactions, https://www.youtube.com/@medusacascade She super enthusiastic, gets very emotional, and is a huge stan for Sinclair which I respect. I haven't found time to do an SG-1 rewatch, so I'm doing that vicariously through her reactions.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2023 23:26
|
|
|
Zorak of Michigan posted:It was for "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum", actually. I could’ve sworn I wrote that… derp. And, yeah, I didn’t find the joke itself particularly funny, but I admit I am enjoying the enraged comments so maybe I’ll stick with ‘em.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2023 00:15
|
|
|
Chevy Slyme posted:The B5 Star Trek podcast dudes posted a live reaction video for in The Shadow of Z’ha’dum and Nerds Mad. They are not nearly as funny as they think they are. OTOH, I submitted a five-star review wherein I refer to them as "Star Trek bros" and they not only read it on the show, they admitted they were being described accurately. That's worth a few points in my book.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2023 04:54
|
|
|
Narsham posted:They are not nearly as funny as they think they are. This is true of practically everybody, though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2023 09:15
|
|
|
mllaneza posted:I like this lady's reactions, She has been hooked since the start, as for those two dudes; i lasted about thirty minutes then closed the screen. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2023 10:38
|
|
|
Resumed my watch after an extended break for no particular reason. 3x13: I am amazed they managed to make something as dorky as a guy thinking he’s King Arthur work. Kind of a predictable/unoriginal plot but the performances completely make it work. The G’kar friendship was great. The Vir wife subplot was frustrating though, how on earth did none of them think the woman may have been the target? Especially Vir since the assassin doesn’t even remotely come at him. Also yikes at Vir’s ultimate reaction being “well you might be an unrepentant Centauri supremacist who has murdered countless Naren but you kissed me!”
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2023 22:17
|
|
|
I thought it was the other way round? Vir was like SCORE but oh no you are awful, ah well 
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2023 23:14
|
|
|
Vir said something along the lines of “well every relationship has its ups and downs”
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2023 06:32
|
|
|
Vir's obviously never had great self-esteem and hasn't had much experience with relationships, so it's extremely plausible to me that he'd grasp at any straw along the lines of "maybe I can bring her around to not being a horrible bigot" in the wake of a hot lady showing sexual interest in him.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2023 07:36
|
|
|
I can fix her.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2023 21:22
|
|
|
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been taking notes here and there as I continue watching but I've been struggling hard with ADHD brain so #justpost is NOT praxis, especially when I see how bad my notes are and keep going "oh I gotta tidy that up before I post it". I'm not big on making predictions because I can't remember most of what happened and it turns out I am just a fussy little nitpicking hater, which doesn't reflect the fact that I am actually quite enjoying this show. I've probably got at least a probe headed my way for other reasons so I figured I'd just dump all my notes as-is while I'm in a "kill that todo list" mood, rather than wait til I get around to editing them into not-terrible thoughts (i.e. impossible; never) Some of these I was stoned or coming down from a trip so they might be even more incoherent or indefensible than normal, or I just binged and didn't make notes. And around the end of season 1 I realised I'd missed the pilot and maybe an extra episode got out of order? Not sure, but some of these notes might be very confusing - sorry Season 1 episode 12 The dock worker strike. I don't want to get into it, ACAB, etc etc. The Babylon 5 administration is becoming problematic but nobody seems to bother reflecting on this or learning anything. Sinclaire is starting to stand out more and more as a weak character, weakened further by kind of an empty performance Sinclaire Garibaldi and Ivanavov are basically just space cops now and by this point their default moral high ground as seemingly sympathetic protagonists has been significantly eroded. "Just following orders" until someone up the ladder treads on their fingers and they get lovely and pull a Deus ex machina "I'm a good person so i must be doing good things, now get out of my way and do what I say" which doesn't address any of the underlying conflicts or tensions Episode 13 - signs and portents A Londo heavy episode, sweet. I love how this very unhinged Centauri nobleman is talking openly and sinisterly about staging a coup and claiming the throne and Londo is just mixing his next drink going "well yeah you could but I wouldn't recommend it. Have you seen a lime around here?" And earlier some prophetess whips out the classic melodrama "Babylon will be destroyed!!" portent of doom, and Londo is like oh yeah alright. Take a nap. And later it seems like he expresses a bit of surprise that the other guy didn't believe her. Yet he just doesn't give a poo poo? I've decided that so far Londo feels like a mix between Machiavelli and The Dude. I am along for the ride Also.. THE SHADOWS..!! Just walking around on B5 being creepy. And when is Londo going to get security or something, I feel like every night he goes to sleep with his front door wedged open with a sack of gold coins Now that I'm paying more attention, I find Sinclair ever weaker as a character and performance. I'm all about Londo now And.. that 1.3 million standard credits that went missing from the military defence budget didn't get brought up again even though there's literally an assault on the station, so previous episode clearly has some class war business going on which Sinclair et Al just don't want to rock the boat on (unless someone threatens their personal authority) S1E14 - no thoughts, only: Where's londo s1e15 oh dang is that the guy from blade runner with all the toys. Double dang, kosh just slurped up that lady's brains. I bet under there is that brain bug from starship troopers. Is that some fake out, no way they just made kosh some hentai brain vampire from buffy. I hope it's just a misdirect. Also where are the shadows I'm very over Sinclair now, the charm has worn off. These last few episodes have been weaker, generic 90s low budget cheesy sci fi kinda fare. If you want to get away with cheese you gotta make it fun, which Londo is nailing, and they have good writing and better character development on the narrative episodes, but the "daily monster/mystery/sitcom premise" game isn't super strong because they're missing characters and actors who are strong enough or camp enough (Londo, G'Kar) to swing it. I feel like they had a story written out that would fill one or two seasons and then they padded with "what else could happen on this station in the meantime" but didn't fit character development into that, nor are they committing enough to the gag. I dunno, it feels like it's in a middle ground at the moment, but I'm also a very impatient person so that probably speaks more to me than anything concrete about the show. I'm sure a lot of people really dig the semi-cheesy episodic sci fi format, I know I got really into firefly for that years ago (and other shows), but I'm too old and jaded now, especially with the past 20 years of the sci fi genre I've come to expect a bigger story and tighter character work, which I guess is a bit unfair. I guess you'd have them pair the creator with an inside professional who could polish it, but it'd also tidy up a lot of the crazier stuff which would be a shame, but I reckon if it's there they should lean into it more, which they aren't.. so a missed opportunity maybe The fight scenes remain terrible but that's hardly unique to b5 S1e21:. The quality of mercy: this is the episode where we find out that Londos penis is I think identical to that tentacle that sucked the brains out of people a few episodes back. It is unclear why this was important to the story S1e22: the doctor waltzing out of the operating room 0.001s after the flatline, basically going "he's dead. So! What's for lunch" and whistling as he walked off was so great. But also Sinclair super weirdly proposing to his girlfriend was not great. The more I see of him the less I care about his character. I first thought it was a flashback but slowly realised they were just coming to the end of the season and abruptly trying to push some developments along, even though it's been god knows how long since we last saw or heard of her. Delenn has cocooned herself, I can only imagine she evolves into the only logical, statistically supported superior lifeform.. a crab. Londo is eventually going to become the main character and then they're going to ruin him too S1e.. actually I have no idea, my totally legitimate VHS set is apparently out of order: Londo takes over the intro monologue, interesting. Oh.. Garibaldi is fine now? How much time just passed? Rules prohibiting inter species sex is very problematic but they gloss over it immediately to make a praying mantis joke about the woman eating the man after sex. Weird. Update: Ok that last one was the pilot and I am just going to come back to it some other time S2e1: cya Sinclair. Are they gonna replace him with his twin brother, this new dude who seems to have an incredibly similar backstory and character and even looks the same?? .. oh yeah he's doing the voice over and he's in the opening credits. Well, his voice isn't as smooth and his eyebrows aren't as good, but I hope he has some more range to him. s2e2?: revelations - so I guess Londo has gotta sink further before his redemption arc. Feels like they're walking a weird line, Londo is dumb and self-serving, I can understand him getting suckered into the first attack on the Narn outpost but after finding out and getting the heebie jeebies from that shadow guy, I don't see him going back and telling him about the Narn ship doing a pass by the shadow homeworld. Seems uncharacteristic and a bit forced. New president is obviously a shadow puppet but the actor is less presidential and more 2 buck mall cop. Also G'Kar telling just everyone about an upcoming secret military mission against an unfathomable powerful secret enemy is lol. "It'll be there in 12 hours, if you want a transponder code lemme know, but we are gonna Livestream it anyway" Ohh Delenn transformed into a human with hair. With hair, and no bald cap!! Time for captain Newguy to move on from his dead wife and further his efforts in interspecies diplomacy S2e4 a distant star - ok so Sheridan's old mate comes back and I assume they want to deal with the idea of Sheridan's wanderlust, except rather than introduce it with any finesse (even if it all has to be self contained in a single episode, which.. it's a sustained narrative structure show, they can't put some hooks in for future episodes?) they just decide to make him act like a complete and utter arsehole to Garibaldi? I was just starting to like him again after the overly aggro start in episode 1 I haven't been paying attention to writing or directing credits but there's some weird skewing/oscillation and i don't know what the pattern is yet.. sometimes the characters have moments of depth, subtlety, nuance, and other times they are just super dumb lovely bastards. Not just in the writing but in how they're acted in those moments. Normally actors who have a vision for their character find a way to interpret sloppy writing to meet it, and ivanova and Garibaldi and Londo (and G'Kar - haven't seen much of him lately though) generally swing that, but Sheridan is all over the place so far - just seems to be reading the lines as they come And obviously just sending out a bunch of his own pilots to die just for a chance to save his friend Oh the shadows! I bet they have special technology that lets them live in hyperspace indefinitely and prey on floundering ships. And they're going to gently caress somebody's big fleet up at some critical point Hmm.. ok Sheridan is also not a good actor. Why do they keep hiring people based on how much they look like soldiers from those old timey American war propaganda posters? Some acting skills would maybe be worth adding to the equation S2e5 the long dark: slow down doc, that's pretty egregious moral misconduct. You can't be stroking your patients face and trying to kiss her, holy moly. Where'd you study medicine, a YouTube comment section?? Oh and Garibaldi and Sheridan found out and just crack a joke and move on. Yikes. For reference, she just woke up from a 100 year stasis sleep, found out yesterday that her husband got murdered, and now she's on a giant space station surrounded by fucken aliens. Perfect time to get your dick wet huh doc??? Wow the doc just isn't stopping, he's creepin hard. Is this what flirting looks like in the future Ohh the monster was heading to the shadow homeworld, so that was a shadow? Why didnt it disguise itself as a human then, rather than just going invisible.. S2e6 spider in the web: wait, so Talia just straight up calls out people if they're lying or hiding something during negotiations? That seems incredibly one sided, who would the second party ever agree to that?? Especially if they're talking what is essentially treason S2e8 - I'm just thinking about it now but I prefer the first season intro song S2e9 - Sheridan is so angry all the time. I guess it fits that he's a soldier not a diplomat but he has very little finesse, if he keeps this up the station is gonna be abandoned by season 3 Ohh the ranger is the same actor as the evil Sheriff from Firefly, just younger S2e10: gropos - it's a top secret mission, that's why we couldn't let you know we were coming. That's also why we are letting 25000 top secret troops run around for 3 days in the space station with the highest concentration of alien spies in the entire universe! We will need the element of surprise for when we launch a suicide attack on some death fortress from our specifically diplomatic station in neutral space I get that earth, already heavily morally compromised, is going full fash under (I assume) the shadows, but man they're just diving head first into the fascist playbook "but the logic of your actions is absurd" "that's the point, what matters is the authority behind it". I guess they aren't doing a super nuanced take, although I hope at some point the main cast is like "hang on we have been begrudgingly but obediently following orders as those orders became increasingly evil, how can we still lay claim to legitimate authority on this station, knowing our complicity?" and then take b5 independent in an anarchist revolution Lmao Garibaldi and the marine hooking up and he has zero chill. And then.. oh it got sad, he's got like PTSD and relationship anxiety, but I guess tv in the 90s still didn't want to acknowledge the existence of therapy Oh dang I bet the doctors dad is about to die. Garibaldi's fling cum involuntary therapist too Ohh so victory but only the grunts die. Hey I like it, I keep getting tricked by how cheesy the setup can come off and expect something hamfisted and then it keeps turning out that I am just a hater S2e11 all alone in the night - so Delenn believes that minbari souls are getting reborn then grows some hair and thinks everything is different now? I thought she was always going on about how great her culture is S2e12- aw poo poo G'Kar is so good. When Delenn and Sheridan tell him that they'll secretly provide food and sneak out some civilians to safety but that's all they can do and he's like.. that's it? But he puts on his best face and thanks them sincerely even though he's screaming and crying on the inside London's hollow victory and bitter lack of joy in his newfound success is satisfying as well, I imagine he has a bit further to fall still, but I wonder how much of a baddie they want to make him into before the redemption arc. Or maybe he doesn't get one? Hm S2e15 - hm I'm not a big fan of the extended documentary/news report format, but I'll take it. Doc is clearly also not a believer in therapy, way to go dark boss. S2e16 - docs speech about dying patients sounds like something from a dodgy serial killer manifesto. Also this shadow guy is human?? For some reason I no longer remember, I thought he was an alien who just disguised perfectly as a human S2e17 knives - Londo's understanding of morality: the blood is already on my hands, I'm stuck on this path now, I have to see it through. Essentially, it wouldn't be fair to my first ten thousand victims if I refrained from killing the next ten million. Classic, nailed it Londo. Lie back and have a little self-pitying nap, that was some good philosophising buddy, you earned it S2e22 comes the inquisitor - not a fan of this episode, I gotta admit. Although it's very meta that the real pain in the torture scenes was forcing us to suffer through the agonising dialogue. Oh good some sci fi nerd's dickensian bdsm fantasy has dragged in Sheridan to join in on the exciting climax to tonight's 9th grade drama class video I guess they can't all be good episodes Lmao he's supposed to be literally jack the ripper. Who is ostensibly repentant but clearly not. So the vorlans do the only logical thing and send him off to torture Delenn to death, because there's nothing like a contrived self sacrifice scene to prove that someone's a goodie Although granted I tuned out for almost the entirety of this episode, I am not a fan S2e23 the fall of night - oh boy these night watch fellas are like 3 seconds into the scene and they're already going full on armband jackboots vibes. I can't wait til earth goes fash and the main characters have to reflect on themselves and their authority based moral convictions G'Kar and Sheridan are both super bad at their jobs if they think this guy from earth has come to provide military assistance to the Narn, lmao. Sheridan has said so many times "oh boy earth sure is going kinda fashy-washy hey.. oh well!" and G'Kar is an ambassador who keeps begging for military help from a government without knowing anything about it Sheridan reflecting on the actions of his government is just.. petulant child vibes. Like a poor little rich boy who just got told there's no more ice cream and doesn't understand what that means. "But I'm the hero, why are bad or hard things happening to me" Oh man Kosh is such a mangled alien angel dude, it's great. It's like some Baron Harkonen fetish S3e1 - oh my god the headshot intros in the opening credits like it's a sports line up. Incredible, what were they thinking. Oh and I already don't like the budget aragon from the opening scene, so he's going to be a regular this season? I thought b5 was going into a fascist dystopia, this is looking like lost in space I'm also happy to reflect on how much less bad the fight scenes in later generation sci fis have gotten
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2023 13:44
|
|
|
boofhead posted:S1e21:. The quality of mercy: this is the episode where we find out that Londos penis is I think identical to that tentacle that sucked the brains out of people a few episodes back. It is unclear why this was important to the story I'm pretty sure that's not a plot point it's just that the producers only had enough budget to make one kind of alien dong
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2023 14:10
|
|
|
boofhead posted:Hey I like it, I keep getting tricked by how cheesy the setup can come off and expect something hamfisted and then it keeps turning out that I am just a hater I like that too.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2023 20:41
|
|
|
boofhead posted:S1e.. actually I have no idea, my totally legitimate VHS set is apparently out of order: Londo takes over the intro monologue, interesting. Oh.. Garibaldi is fine now? How much time just passed? Rules prohibiting inter species sex is very problematic but they gloss over it immediately to make a praying mantis joke about the woman eating the man after sex. Weird. That's the pilot, The Gathering
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 13:28
|
|
|
If you are watching them out of order then you lose the foreshadowing for the rest of the seasons, which was half the fun.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 14:57
|
|
|
Yes sorry, I think I made it a bit too unclear - I figured out relatively quickly that it was the pilot which I'd missed, but left the notes I'd made so far and just came back and watched it some other time. I think apart from that weird hiccough I've been watching in order. I think all the movies come after the show, right? Except for the pilot, The Gathering, which I guess I should have watched first
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 15:15
|
|
|
boofhead posted:Yes sorry, I think I made it a bit too unclear - I figured out relatively quickly that it was the pilot which I'd missed, but left the notes I'd made so far and just came back and watched it some other time. I think apart from that weird hiccough I've been watching in order. I think all the movies come after the show, right? Except for the pilot, The Gathering, which I guess I should have watched first Yeah, I see no problem. Also you were not unclear about it; someone just missed your edit about the pilot I guess. The movies In the Beginning, Thirdspace & The River of Souls were released after Season 4, but they're mostly pretty unnecessary anyway (ITB is pretty good). But yeah, keep doing what you're doing!
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 15:28
|
|
|
Yeah, there are several different schools of thought about the "correct" viewing order. The original broadcast order got slightly shuffled due to production issues, so it has a few small continuity glitches -- mostly stuff along the lines of "Ambassador Somebody is already visiting their homeworld in episode 17 but then we see them leave the station for that trip in episode 18". Particularly in season 1, straightening it all out can get... complex. But in my opinion, none of these differences actually matter. The important stuff will always be in the correct sequence, so just go with however the episodes are arranged on the streaming service / discs / pirated bundle and don't worry about it. But if you do decide to get all obsessive about it, here's everything you need to know: https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/Viewing_Order Be advised there may be story spoilers on that page, especially in the footnotes describing the rationale for each change.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 17:08
|
|
|
Powered Descent posted:Yeah, there are several different schools of thought about the "correct" viewing order. The original broadcast order got slightly shuffled due to production issues, so it has a few small continuity glitches -- mostly stuff along the lines of "Ambassador Somebody is already visiting their homeworld in episode 17 but then we see them leave the station for that trip in episode 18". Particularly in season 1, straightening it all out can get... complex. The only “the streaming service is wrong and you must fix this!” Viewing order issue that I will die on the hill of warning folks about is Divided Loyalties before Long Twilight Struggle. Other than that, the simple solution is the best one; watch The Gathering first, then the episodes in order that the streaming service or whatever puts them is fine. Watch In the Beginning and Thirdspace after S4, and River of Souls after (or whenever you want in the middle of) S5.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 17:15
|
|
|
The only objectively wrong thing I've seen is watching "in the beginning" first.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 17:18
|
|
|
Powered Descent posted:But in my opinion, none of these differences actually matter. In season 1 I agree but there are some changes later on that matter more. These match up with the intended sequence and really make things work better.
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 17:33
|
|
|
Powered Descent posted:Yeah, there are several different schools of thought about the "correct" viewing order. The original broadcast order got slightly shuffled due to production issues, so it has a few small continuity glitches -- mostly stuff along the lines of "Ambassador Somebody is already visiting their homeworld in episode 17 but then we see them leave the station for that trip in episode 18". Particularly in season 1, straightening it all out can get... complex. I know you say it in your post but I am also amazed that the fan base as a whole has enough restraint to put “this really doesn’t matter” on that page. Rare to find a fan base with restraint!
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2023 18:27
|
|
|
Dr. Stab posted:The only objectively wrong thing I've seen is watching "in the beginning" first. LOADS of people used to suggest this at one point and I don't get it. It's just completely full of spoilers for S1-4.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2023 18:07
|
|
|
In the Beginning was literally written as an entry point for new viewers late in the show's original run.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2023 18:51
|
|
|
ultrafilter posted:In the Beginning was literally written as an entry point for new viewers late in the show's original run. Sure, and if someone is going to watch just that and then watch the back end of season 4 and season 5, it’s a perfectly fine clif notes or whatever. And given the realities of how television broadcasting worked in 1996, without streaming or even easily and affordable available DVD boxed sets, it’s great that it was written for that purpose. But if you’re going to turn around and then actually watch the first four seasons, you should not watch In The Beginning first.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2023 19:12
|
|
|
Chevy Slyme posted:Sure, and if someone is going to watch just that and then watch the back end of season 4 and season 5, it’s a perfectly fine clif notes or whatever. And given the realities of how television broadcasting worked in 1996, without streaming or even easily and affordable available DVD boxed sets, it’s great that it was written for that purpose. I agree and wouldn't personally recommend it, but it was in fact JMS's stated opinion at least at the time that ItB makes for a good introduction to the whole series for newbies. JMS quotes: "If you want to play it as a strict mystery, then no, probably don't go near ItB...but frankly, if I were going to start someone off on B5, I'd definitely want to start with ItB, which sort of skims in and out of the overall storyline in a beautiful fashion." "ItB contains surprises and turnarounds for many of the series veteran fans, and it does a great job of laying the foundation for the first two seasons for the newbies."
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2023 19:27
|
|
|
Our notion of spoilers has developed a little since then (often in dumb and self defeating ways, dgmw). If you explicitly don't care about them then go for it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2023 04:15
|
|
|
I skipped the other 58 pages to avoid spoilers. Just finished watching the first episode of Babylon 5. I like it so far, though I can see why there's a longstanding belief that DS9 copied B5 (or vice versa); there are plenty of similarities: a Promenade, a Quark's Bar, changelings. The telepath is something of a Dax analogue and G'kar seems like B5's version of Gul Dukat. The plot was a bit confusing to follow; they threw a lot of characters and exposition at you quickly. I had pretty much figured out the mystery by about three-quarters in but the resolution was tense and satisfying. My nickname for the Vorlon is 'the goatse aliens' because...well...their face is an anus. Really looking forward to the point when Walter Koenig shows up. I've seen a few clips of his character and he seemed to have a lot of fun in his role. The acting is....decent. It's not MST3K level but a bit soap-y at times. I think I'll probably enjoy watching this series. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Mar 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2023 03:12
|
|
|
F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:I like it so far, though I can see why there's a longstanding belief that DS9 copied B5 (or vice versa); there are plenty of similarities: a Promenade, a Quark's Bar, changelings. The telepath is something of a Dax analogue and G'kar seems like B5's version of Gul Dukat.  I really want you to come back and reread all this when you get to the end of the show.quote:My nickname for the Vorlon is 'the goatse aliens' because...well...their face is an anus. The on-set nickname for his eye was "the sphincter".
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2023 04:04
|
|
|
Just random observations after watching episodes 2 and 3: o For the most part, the actor switches between the pilot and the 'regular' episodes have been better. Nothing against Commander Takahara (?) but Ivanova is a better actress, despite being a bit machineike. I do miss the original, older doctor, though. o The fighters in B5 are even more X-wing like than Vipers in BSG. In fact, a lot of the space segments are very reminiscent to me of BSG. o I like how Londo was given a bit more characterization than 'weird alien with crazy hair'. o The Soul Hunters episode is probably my favorite yet, and Soul Hunters themselves might be my favorite alien race so far. They're so delightfully ghoulish: "Someone's about the die; can I come aboard?" o Some intrigue about whatshername is also set up in the Soul Hunters episode. I'm going to guess that she's either a secret cylon spy or somehow disgraced the Mimbari somehow. This is one of those things we're definitely going to get more information on eventually. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 03:33 on Mar 12, 2023 |
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2023 03:19
|
|
|
F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:o The fighters in B5 are even more X-wing like than Vipers in BSG. In fact, a lot of the space segments are very reminiscent to me of BSG. BSG, B5, and the Expanse are about the only shows that are even close to realistic space maneuvering in sci fi tv shows, so that makes sense.
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2023 05:16
|
|
|
F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:
Here's what I think is weird about Soul Hunters: It explicitly states that souls are a thing that's real and everybody just shrugs their shoulders about this major revelation and continue with their daily lives.
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2023 10:04
|
|
|
F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:o The fighters in B5 are even more X-wing like than Vipers in BSG. In fact, a lot of the space segments are very reminiscent to me of BSG. A lot of people who worked at Foundation Imaging (which did the effects for B5's first three seasons, before Doug Netter did a smash-and-grab on the company and founded Netter Digital) later went on to work at Zoic Studios, which was the primary effects house on BSG.
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2023 14:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 12, 2024 03:30 |
|
|
Alhazred posted:Here's what I think is weird about Soul Hunters: It explicitly states that souls are a thing that's real and everybody just shrugs their shoulders about this major revelation and continue with their daily lives. The episode presents three points of view on this issue: 1. The Minbari believe that souls are eternal things that are reborn over and over again in new bodies, but the Soul Hunters lock them in crystals, stealing them from the cycle and weakening their race by removing the best individuals from it. 2. The Soul Hunters believe that souls exist, but dissipate into nothingness at the moment of death unless captured and stored so that future generations can benefit from their wisdom. 3. Dr. Franklin (and by implication a lot of humans) believe that souls aren't a real thing and that all the Soul Hunters are doing with their fancy machines is making a copy of someone's memories and personality that can be artificially preserved after their deaths. The show offers some evidence for each point of view, but doesn't make a definitive statement about it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2023 02:44
|
|
