I went to Z'ha'dum and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. (Babylon 5)

Member Name: SqueakyG

Product:	Babylon 5
Date:	18/08/01 (325 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant story and characterisation, Innovative for its time

Disadvantages: Some people don't like it, this opinion is so long it will bore you!

I used to HATE Babylon 5. I would purposely avoid it when it was on TV. I was an avid Star Trek fan you see, and Babylon 5's entire style and concept were contradictory to my taste in sci-fi. I liked the clean-cut scientific purity of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In comparison B5 looked dumb, cheap and weird. I didn't like the way the sets looked so cheap that it ruined the illusion of being on a space station. I didn't like how fake the computer-generated effects were. I didn't like the way it used cultural things like TV news reporting and Daffy Duck cartoons. I thought the acting was below par. I thought the aliens looked ridiculous. I thought the whole thing was a cheap nasty Deep Space Nine rip-off.

It's amazing how many people think of B5 this way. Lots of people hate it.

But now my feelings are totally reversed. I have the Sci Fi Channel to thank for converting me to B5, a show I now consider to be one of the BEST programmes ever made. Watching episodes of the five-year series every weekday has shown me how brilliant and innovative B5 was, and how dull and corny it makes Star Trek look in comparison.

I'm going to explain why B5 is one of the best sci-fi programmes ever made, and hopefully give you a detailed introduction to the series.

Babylon 5 was conceived, written and produced by J. Michael Straczynski (referred to as JMS, as he calls himself on newsgroups and message boards). I'm sure you've all heard the same old story about how B5 had it's entire five-year story planned in advance, blah blah blah. Well I'm going to talk about all that too, so I hope you don't mind hearing it again. B5's 'story arc' was a fairly innovative thing in television at the time, and it was a very ambitious project. The result is a series that tells a story like a long novel, with overall themes and one complete narrative, and many smaller subplots making it all the richer.



PLOT:

The story starts simply enough in the year 2258, where the space station Babylon 5 is opened as a diplomatic place for all races to resolve their differences peacefully. The main characters are introduced: Commander Sinclair (a plank of wood), Ivanova (feisty, angry), security chief Garibaldi (balding) and Dr Franklin. Then there are the alien ambassadors. Delenn is Minbari, a race that were at war with Earth ten years previously due to a huge misunderstanding upon first contact with each other. The Minbari suddenly stopped the war when they were winning, and nobody knows why. This is the main mystery for Sinclair, who was fighting in the most crucial battle of the war and has 24 hours missing from his memory. Then there is Londo, a Centauri; and G'Kar, a Narn. The Centauri and Narn have a long history of being at war with each other, with the Narn homeworld invaded and occupied by the Centauri. Another big element in the story is the Psi-Corps, an organisation that all human telepaths are forced to join. All of these are "younger races", with the Vorlons being a much older mysterious race of aliens who have been around for millions of years. The story arc of Babylon 5 is a huge sweeping epic concerning a corrupt Earth government, invasion by another ancient race called the Shadows, the rise and fall of the Centauri empire and their war with the Narn, Minbari civil war, and... oh... well, season 5 doesn't matter much. But you'll see why later.



WHY BABYLON 5 IS GREAT
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THE FIVE-YEAR ARC

Sorry, I have to talk about it. JMS outlined the five-year story as far back as 1987 (and the series only started in 1993). For those who think this is just promotional guff, his original outline can be dated to the 1980's when it was posted online. This doesn't seem like such a major thing now, because since B5's template, many television shows are now using st
ory arcs. But it was revolutionary for episodic sci-fi to do such a thing at the time. Programmes like Star Trek: TNG were purely episodic: every single episode was a separate story with a definite beginning and a definite conclusion. You could watch any random episode of ST:TNG and understand it fully, because it was a contained story. So the concept of a series which behaves like a huge five-year novel was quite innovative, and quite a challenge.

The obvious advantage to the five-year arc is that a well-rounded long story is much more satisfying than simple 45-minute stories. The more time you invest in the story, the more it rewards you. Characterisation is infinitely more detailed in B5 than most other sci-fi, because consequences last far longer than 45 minutes. People who thought Londo was just comic relief in season 1 are heartbroken and shocked when they see his slow sinister descent and his ultimate fate. Dr Franklin gets addicted to stims, and his rehabilitation takes a hell of a lot longer than a simple 45-minute episode could show. There are huge advantages when the writer already knows how the story will turn out. Isn't that what writers are taught -- "know the ending of your story before you start writing it"?

The obvious disadvantage to the five-year arc is that it makes it very difficult for a casual audience to join in half way through. Just as you have to start reading a novel from page 1, you kinda have to start watching B5 early in its run. This severely limits its accessibility, and deters people who don't have time to commit themselves to such a long story.


COMPUTER-GENERATED EFFECTS

B5 was one of the first TV shows to do all its special effects on computers. There were advantages and disadvantages to being 100% CG. The main advantage is that the special effects could me so much more versatile. If they were stuck with models and traditional motion-control, the spaceship shots would be
slower and less interesting. Virtual special effects allowed for faster exciting space battles. And the space battles in B5 are really entertaining! The other great thing computer effects allowed them to do was to design organic spacecraft. A lot of B5's visual identity comes from the alien-looking spacecraft, and they wouldn't have been able to make Minbari, Vorlon or Shadow ships look so amazing if they were limited to real models. These ships have organic textures that change shape and colours. So B5 was a pioneer of exciting space battles with interesting spacecraft (on TV anyhow), and nothing had been seen like this on television before.

The big disadvantage is that it sometimes looks... well... crap. Especially season 1, where the graphics weren't photo-realistic enough to be convincing. Thankfully by seasons 4 and 5 the graphics were amazing. But there's always that off-putting knowledge that it's all just CG and none of it is real, and it can sometimes make B5 feel insubstantial.


REALISTIC AND INTERESTING SETTING

Some people would contest this, but B5 is actually much more realistic than things like ST:TNG. When you think about it, ST:TNG isn't half as realistic as it claims to be. It masks this with technobabble that sounds scientific, but the Star Trek universe is nowhere near as real as you might think. B5 very rarely bothers itself with technobabble. B5 assumes that entertainment media will still exist in 200 years time (and of course it will... Star Trek is lame for thinking the only music of the future will be classical music, or that TV won't exist anymore). B5's spacecraft actually behave according to physics, an advantage of being made with 3D rendering software. Whereas Star Trek takes great pains to explain itself with pseudo-science, B5 just gets on with the job and gets things right in the first place. The overall atmosphere of the future JMS has constructed -- with major credit to
'creative consultant' Harlan Ellison -- is more true to life than the sterile boring future shown in Star Trek.



WHY BABYLON 5 IS NOT SO GREAT
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SOMETIMES LOOKS CHEAP

Yup, I admit it. The sets look too much like sets. You can tell it was made on a small budget. The CG isn't always photo-realistic because TV-budget CG is nowhere near as professional as movie-budget CG.

HUMOUR CAN BE AWFUL

A lot of people say B5 can be really funny, but I personally cringe when the show has one of its comedy scenes. Zathras is pretty funny, but I can count several scenes that were painfully embarrassing to watch. These include Ivanova's sex dance (don't ask), and the episode with Penn and Teller.

A BIT CORNY

I've been arguing how realistic and brilliant B5 is, but I'd be lying if I said it was perfect. It can be as corny as other shows. The Minbari are often a bit too spiritual for their own good, Centauri Prime seems populated by camp English actors, the animatronic preying mantis alien in season 1 was lame, and all the main actors sometimes have moments of bad over-acting.



SEASON GUIDE
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This opinion has become longer than I anticipated, so if you want to stop reading now, feel free. This is the perfect time to stop reading if you don't want to see SPOILERS, because this section is full of 'em. So I don't mind if you stop here. Just remember to rate. For those who don't mind spoilers and want to stick with me, here is a guide (and short review) for each season.


SEASON 1 -- "SIGNS AND PORTENTS"

The characters and their backgrounds are introduced. Commander Sinclair wishes to discover what happened in the 24 hours missing from his memory. Garibaldi discovers a conspiracy that turns out to be the assassination of the Earth Alliance President Santiago. A poli
te (but sinister) man called Mr Morden starts to help Londo attack Narn outposts with the help of his 'associates'. Delenn does something to change herself from a Minbari into...?

This first season doesn't match up to seasons 2, 3 or 4 in any way. Many of the episodes are stand-alone self-contained stories that don't have much to do with the overall arc. At this point it is mainly tiny pieces of plot and dialogue that give clues to the story that will eventually unfold. A lot of the episodes are standard sci-fi fare, without being very original or interesting. Michael O'Hare's performance as Sinclair is wooden and dull.


SEASON 2 -- "THE COMING OF SHADOWS"

Sinclair is reassigned, and the new commanding officer is Captain John Sheridan. Delenn comes out of her chrysalis and turns out to be half-Minbari half-human, a good-will act to bring the two races together peacefully. Mr Morden's 'associates', who have been destroying Narn bases at Londo's request, turn out to be an ancient enemy known as the Shadows, who were last seen 1000 years ago. Although Londo begins to regret his association with Morden, Centauri leaders decide to start a new war against the Narn, and the Narn homeworld is bombed and occupied. Sheridan and Delenn know they have to prepare for an inevitable war against the Shadows. Kosh, the mysterious Vorlon ambassador, finally reveals the true form of a Vorlon.

Season 2 is where the arc really starts to take off, and the slow build-up to the Shadow war is very intriguing and exciting. Londo's character becomes much deeper than the 'comic relief' role he played in season 1. Bruce Boxleitner is a much better actor for the main character, and although Sheridan is a bit too happy and funny this season, he soon develops. Every character grows and develops as the story gives them more to do.


SEASON 3 -- "POINT OF NO RETURN"

Tr
ouble is brewing back home with the Earth Alliance. President Clark (the guy who assassinated Santiago to become President) is turning Earth into the kind of society from Orwell's 1984, with a Ministry of Peace and a 'Nightwatch' organisation, where volunteers spy on people and report non-patriotic behaviour. But the Shadow war is Sheridan's main concern. His 'army of light' is preparing for the war, and he now has help from the Rangers, who are a covert army of humans and Minbari. They discover that the Shadows have involved themselves in some way with Clark's government, and the Psi-cops are involved in the conspiracy. Dr Franklin's workload puts him under so much pressure that he becomes addicted to stims. Sheridan and Delenn become romantically involved. They find out that the Shadows are from a planet called Z'ha'dum, the planet where Sheridan's wife Anna died. Despite being told he will die if he goes to Z'ha'dum, Sheridan goes anyway.

Season 3 is the BEST. This is when the plot reaches its highest moments and the Shadow plotline that has been developing for two years comes to a climax. Nearly every episode is a vital arc installment (with the exception of just one lame episode, where Michael York thinks he's King Arthur). A new character, a Ranger called Marcus, provides some good comic relief. This season was also a first for American television: the first entire 22-episode season completely written by one person (JMS). The season ends on a spectacular cliffhanger, ending one of the best seasons of television I've ever seen.


SEASON 4 -- "NO SURRENDER, NO RETREAT"

Sheridan leads the final offensive against the Shadows. It is discovered that both the Vorlons and the Shadows have been 'guiding' the younger races: the Vorlons through encouragement, the Shadows through conflict. The final confrontation is when Sheridan decides that it's time for the y
ounger races to go without the assistance of the Vorlons or Shadows from now on -- "Now get the hell out of our galaxy! Both of you!". With the Shadows gone, it is time for Sheridan to turn his attention to President Clark and the mess he's made of Earth. This creates a civil war between earth and Sheridan's forces. Meanwhile, Garibaldi starts behaving differently and becomes a traitor to Sheridan's cause.

Season 4 is very fast-paced and intense, but it doesn't seem to have the edge of season 3. The war between Sheridan and Earth isn't as interesting or satisfying as the Shadow war. This season suffered from the fact that JMS didn't know if there would be a season 5 (due to WB cancelling the show, without certainty that another network would pick it up), so he moved the most important things that were going to be in season 5 into season 4, to make sure the last part of the story got told at all. This means the Sheridan Vs Clark plot is too fast and short, and it doesn't make enough sense. It is all resolved too quickly and conveniently. Due to the fast pace, characterisation takes a back seat to the action. It is still great television though, and still better than most sci-fi.


SEASON 5 -- "WHEEL OF FIRE"

Sheridan is now the President of the new Interstellar Alliance, and the new Captain of B5 is Elizabeth Lochley. A colony of rogue telepaths, led by a man named Byron, is allowed to stay on the station. Londo prepares to become Emperor of the Centauri Republic, knowing he will have to suffer with a 'keeper' on him -- an alien parasite that will control him.

Season 5 is generally considered the worst season of the show, and with good reason. JMS shunted the most important things from season 5 into season 4, in case there wasn't going to be a season 5 at all. But TNT commissioned season 5, so JMS was in a position where most of the story-arc had been used prematurely.
As a result, season 5 is a collection of stand-alone episodes and pointless experimental stories, held together by an annoying feeble plotline about Byron and his telepaths. Once Byron (annoying long-haired English actor) is out of the picture, the season regains its quality, and the Londo plot in the last few episodes is superb. Season 5 is blighted by the absence of Claudia Christian (Ivanova), a sore point for everyone concerned. It was a bitter misunderstanding that caused Claudia to drop out of season 5, and the replacement character played by Tracey Scoggins can hardly match Ivanova's screen presence.



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Well folks, if you read ALL of this opinion, I congratulate you. I've been saying for weeks that this would be an epic. If you skipped the second half and you just came down here to rate, that's fine too.

For people who've never given B5 a chance, the overall message is: "Give it another go, it's not as crap as you think". Believe it or not, I haven't even scratched the surface here. There are 110 regular episodes of this excellent programme out there (currently being repeated on the Sci Fi Channel in the daytimes, but not for much longer). It's very fulfilling.

('The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5' -- http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html -- was a great resource when writing this opinion.)

Summary: