Babylon 5 - A underrated sci-fi show.

Finally got around to watching B5 (partway through season 3). Overall it’s quite good, but has some major flaws (although probably not what you expect). I like the CGI — it reminds of old adventure games from the 90s (Myst, etc). Even the limited sets/props are alright, but there are things that are irritating:

1) humor is very hit-or-miss and often doesn’t make sense in-universe (the gift shop episode comes to mind — why would they sell action figures of current ambassadors and military staff on the station?). The 36-hour news episode (60 minutes parody episode) with the Psi corps “commercial” was so blatantly on the nose, it was surreal. The humor often clashes with what is happening in the story

2) canned drama. Drama can be used for world building or character development, but much of the drama is there for the sake of being there. For a show supposedly planned out, there are a lot of these canned soap opera drama “filler” episodes (the Holy Grail, the Rabbi visiting, and the alien family refusing surgery on their child episodes come to mind).

3) it’s still very episodic. While characters develop and change throughout the show, it’s still “catastrophe of the week”, with major issues being resolved in 45 minutes (often in the last 10 minutes with a deus ex machina). This is getting better in season 3, but there is not a lot of tension.

Despite these issues, I’m quite enjoying the show and loving the names and talent involved so far.
 
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naaaaiiiiillllll!!! said:
Finally got around to watching B5 (partway through season 3). Overall it’s quite good, but has some major flaws (although probably not what you expect). I like the CGI — it reminds of old adventure games from the 90s (Myst, etc). Even the limited sets/props are alright, but there are ththings that are irritating:

1) humor is very hit-or-miss and often doesn’t make sense in-universe (the gift shop episode comes to mind — why would they sell action figures of current ambassadors and military staff on the station?). The 36-hour news episode (60 minutes parody episode) with the Psi corps “commercial” was so blatantly on the nose, it was surreal. The humor often clashes with what is happening in the story

2) canned drama. Drama can be used for world building or character development, but much of the drama is there for the sake of being there. For a show supposedly planned out, there are a lot of these canned soap opera drama “filler” episodes (the Holy Grail, the Rabbi visiting, and the alien family refusing surgery on their child episodes come to mind).

3) it’s still very episodic. While characters develop and change throughout the show, it’s still “catastrophe of the week”, with major issues being resolved in 45 minutes (often in the last 10 minutes with a deus ex machina). This is getting better in season 3, but there is not a lot of tension.

Despite these issues, I’m quite enjoying the show and loving the names and talent involved so far.
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Season 3 and 4 is when the show becomes more plot driven. I have all five seasons on DVD. I remmber me and my dad were watching middle of season 3 form 8:00 to 2 something in the morning. Because of how good and tense it was getting
 
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A reboot of Babylon 5 is in development from original creator J. Michael Straczynski at the CW. Reboot will follow John Sheridan.

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Won't work.

The dirty secret is that actually Babylon 5 - as much as I love it - is a stupid show. The plot is tired, the tropes were old in sci-fi by the time B5 was already a thing.

Babylon 5 was like Star Trek TOS and to some extent TNG - it was a show that made it on the strength of the actors. Not even the characters, specifically, although to so extent. But primarily the actors. You can't recast the show.
 
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MembersSchoolPizza said:
Won't work.

The dirty secret is that actually Babylon 5 - as much as I love it - is a stupid show. The plot is tired, the tropes were old in sci-fi by the time B5 was already a thing.

Babylon 5 was like Star Trek TOS and to some extent TNG - it was a show that made it on the strength of the actors. Not even the characters, specifically, although to so extent. But primarily the actors. You can't recast the show.
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Its actually very competently written and frankly incredibly unique for the time, at least up until the ending of the shadow war. I couldn't disagree harder about the Sci-fi tropes being tired. If anything they re-contextualized and breathed new life into all the old tropes established by prior sci-fi like star trek and star wars.

I won't argue that the actors gave strong performances, but strong actors can't really hold a show together if the writing and characterization isn't there.

I will agree that re-casts won't work, but that is only because its going to be written like trash by some hollywood nobody and B5 writers/creators who have long since traded their writing talent for whatever modicum of Hollywood fame and politicking they can scrape by.
 
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MembersSchoolPizza said:
Won't work.

The dirty secret is that actually Babylon 5 - as much as I love it - is a stupid show. The plot is tired, the tropes were old in sci-fi by the time B5 was already a thing.
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B5 isn’t even scifi in my opinion, it’s space fantasy. Literally LOTR in space. Which was its strength, but that don’t fly today.
 
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Londo and Vir will probably start as gay lovers, and then Londo will end up wanting to fuck G'Kar instead, despite the interracial tension. That is how the CW usually does things. I know I'll only get bad stickers for this (and rightfully so, because it's horrific) but I doubt I'm wrong.
 
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naaaaiiiiillllll!!! said:
1) humor is very hit-or-miss and often doesn’t make sense in-universe (the gift shop episode comes to mind — why would they sell action figures of current ambassadors and military staff on the station?).
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Two parts to this, first one is the action figure is peak Americana kitsch as this something America have been doing for decades to present day.

Second part is U.S. military installations do have stores usually where the commissary and exhange are located. Selling merch denoting any where from U.S Military in general, to a singular military branch to the various divisions, brigades, and on downwards stationed at that particular installation. Although it is mostly shirts, mugs, challenge coins and other non offensive stuff.
 
UnKillShredDur said:
Londo and Vir will probably start as gay lovers, and then Londo will end up wanting to fuck G'Kar instead, despite the interracial tension.
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G'Kar will be a troon... no. You know what? Why fucking stop there? The entire species of the Narn will be trans (however the fuck that works when they have only one gender). And the Centauri will be modelled after ORANGE MAN BAD. Instead of their more "French noblemen of the victorian age" look, they'll wear red caps, have tiny hands and chant "MAKE CENTAURI GREAT AGAIN".

The Minbari will be eco-friendly vegans and teach their lesser human brethren to feed on bugs, if they can't outright stop being MURDERERS that eat ANIMAL CARCASSES.

We're talking about the CW, no low is too low to stoop to.
 
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HumanHive said:
B5 isn’t even scifi in my opinion, it’s space fantasy. Literally LOTR in space. Which was its strength, but that don’t fly today.
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yeah honestly B5 lost a bit of its shine as every rando could go "oh wait that's a lord of the rings thing" after the movies happened
 
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MembersSchoolPizza said:
Won't work.

The dirty secret is that actually Babylon 5 - as much as I love it - is a stupid show. The plot is tired, the tropes were old in sci-fi by the time B5 was already a thing.

Babylon 5 was like Star Trek TOS and to some extent TNG - it was a show that made it on the strength of the actors. Not even the characters, specifically, although to so extent. But primarily the actors. You can't recast the show.
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Chilson said:
Its actually very competently written and frankly incredibly unique for the time, at least up until the ending of the shadow war. I couldn't disagree harder about the Sci-fi tropes being tired. If anything they re-contextualized and breathed new life into all the old tropes established by prior sci-fi like star trek and star wars.

I won't argue that the actors gave strong performances, but strong actors can't really hold a show together if the writing and characterization isn't there.

I will agree that re-casts won't work, but that is only because its going to be written like trash by some hollywood nobody and B5 writers/creators who have long since traded their writing talent for whatever modicum of Hollywood fame and politicking they can scrape by.
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The writing and the actors were its two greatest strengths. Especially since it had less of a budget than the third season of ST TOS probably did, and it showed.

At least I can totally legitimately obtain the 4k remasters that are free of dumb 16:9 artefacts like the Amiga boing ball being able to be seen in the window outside Sheridan's office.
 
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