Space Arc (Babylon 5)

Member Name: Xamis

Product:	Babylon 5
Date:	05/12/00 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A full and complex story, Moments of raw emotion, Moments of stomach-splitting humour

Disadvantages: 5 years is a lot of TV - Expensive to get hold of on tape, Repeats are sadly lacking right now

Babylon 5 is a 5 year novel on TV. It is this unique attribute to the series that has endeared it to millions but also turned millions of others away. Unlike other sci-fi series', Babylon 5 largely follows one central storyline. It is the tale of a spacestation, the last of the Babylon stations, designed to be a centre for peace and understanding. It is described in the series as a nexus, a point from which the universe turns. Because the station itself has a hard time moving, it is perhaps understandable that the writers wanted to make the station this important.

The story follows 5 years of a distant future with considerable echoes to our present world. Apart from space travel and the apparent unification of Earth, the setting seems very familiar. Corporations and the military have significant power, there are threats to Earth both external and internal, and racism is still rife. The main characters of the series, led for 4 of the 5 years by Captain John J Sheridan, are stereotypical heroes in that they do what is morally right. In the space of the 5 year story, they defy orders many times, declare themselves independent, build their own military force and political alliance, wage two wars and set up the Interstellar Alliance (A UN for the 24th Century). But they are not politicians or dictators. They are portrayed as ordinary people in the middle of extraordinary circumstances.

The story deals with many issues relevent to us today, especially racism. This is evident in the choice of characters, the station really is multicultural. A quick count reveals a 7-7 split between human and non-human characters that lasted longer than a series, not including any of the enemies. The alien characters could easily carry an episode, and often some of the best acting has been between two of the aliens. It is rare that such a successful series has alien characters that the audience can identify with, but Babylon 5 makes it appear natural. The series
also deals with racism from the other side, we see the hate groups forming and the manipulation of people through the mass-media that allowed this racism to become acceptable.

There is one reason why Babylon 5 is often referred to as a TV novel - The Arc. This arc is not a biblical reference, although the series does have significant biblical influences if you look hard enough. Instead it refers to the story arc, the one tale that ties the entire series together. Many of the series' current fans were put off by the first series because it seemed like stereotypical sci-fi, and not particularly convincing sci-fi either. But the first series, an entire year of programming, merely sets the scene for the main story which develops across the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, and to a lesser extent the 5th. For anybody to get away with an entire season as an introduction is an amazing feat in itself with current TV administration, which is why the first series is worth a second look.

The fifth series too drew criticism. By the end of the 4th year, it looked like Babylon 5 may be cancelled, and the story would go unconcluded. So the majority of the story was crammed in to allow fans a sense of closure if the series was written off. A last minute intervention by American network TNT meant that the fifth season was made, but the story had largely been told. This led to some ad-libbing and new storylines not originally intended to make it into the series. Because of this the fifth series is often criticised, but it is refreshing to see what happens to our characters after the cataclysmic events a show portrays.

It is an incredible series, but not one you can really pick up anywhere. Although I did start watching from the first episode of the fourth series, I have since been back and watched it through in sequence. It can be watched over and over again, not just for portents never made explicit on a first watching, but also for some excellent dry wit
that sadly is becoming overused nowadays. Well worth the effort to watch 5 years of.

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