I’d always heard that Babylon-5 was worth watching. A more grown-up and interesting SF show than Star Trek. So Mr. Cake and I ordered up the first season through Netflix. We are about halfway through the season and are seriously debating canceling the rest.
Seriously, does the horribly wooden acting (with only a couple notable exceptions), trite dialogue and excruciatingly preachy stories get better? I mean significantly better, because this is striking me as pure MST3K material here. I know they lose Commander Bolt Upright and his eyebrows of doom, but he’s not the only awful actor in the show.
Babylon-5 fans, convince me to continue. Or is there something about it that should have grabbed me by now that just ain’t. I can see some potential in the basic set-up, but have seen no follow-through yet.
FYI, I enjoy ST:TOS and some of TNG, but am not a huge fan. I love Doctor Who, especially the new series. I haven’t seen any BG since I no longer have cable. Just in case liking one of those shows makes you say, “well if that’s your taste, no wonder you don’t like it” or something.
My opinion is that it’s worth watching. The first season is a little on the weak side but I tend to cut first seasons a little slack as the show shakes itself out. But if B5 is not, in fact, to your taste don’t worry about it. Give it a shot that you think is fair and if you don’t like it, then move on to something else.
BG is a little farther down the list. It may be moving up very quickly depending on replies to this inquiry. Having seen and disliked BG:TOS back when I was much younger and less critical, I was not too enthusiastic about another run at it, but it seems to get good ink, so why not?
The first season is pretty wretched. I recommend watching a few of the more important episodes and skipping the rest. I’d have to dig around to remember what they were, but there’s 3 or 4.
It starts to get good around season 2. Around season 3 you won’t be able to stop watching it. Season 5’s a bit of a let-down, but nowhere near the crapfest of season 1.
It does get better in later seasons, once they get a feel for the storyline and characters. The dialog improves slightly, and there’s still a tendency toward writing that’s as about a light of a touch as anvils raining on your head, but it does improve. Getting rid of the prop that they had standing in for the original commander helped muchly.
Even so, the the reason to watch is for the moments of G’Kar and Londo Molari. Their acting was superb throughout, their character development and storylines very interesting. Delenn and Bester and whatshername the second-in-command are also usually interesting, and Kosh is fun. The other characters can vary between mildly of interest to coma-inducing.
Once the Shadow War gets underway, it’s a pretty good ride, but that’s seasons ahead of the show’s beginning.
I’m not really reminded of Dr. Who or BSG, or of STNG or ST:TOS from B5. I’d think more “Buffy” (which I don’t really like, actually) – but with not as good dialog, but with more interesting storylines. About the same number of what’s-on-my-forehead extras and cast, though.
True, the first season isn’t the best, but trust me, you won’t regret watching the rest of the series. The story evolves through the seasons, and there are things that happen in Season 1 that mesh with events later on.
Admittedly, it will take some patience to get through some of the weaker episodes, but I believe that patience will be rewarded.
I’d say you can skip the first season entirely and start with season 2. I started watching in the second season, watched through the fourth, and thought it was great. I’ve still never seen the first or fifth seasons.
If you don’t like it, you don’t like it, but I recommend trying some of the strongest season 2 episodes before giving up. Some other poster will be along shortly to tell you which ones those are (I can’t recall now).
Season one is by far the weakest of the show. If you really can’t stand it, then try jumping ahead to season two before giving up. However, I’d urge you to try and make it through season one. It’s nice to have that background material in your memory when they start tying everything back up later on.
I still have never read LoTR because I can’t get through the mind numbing boredom of the first book. I know it gets better later on, but I just can’t do it, so I do sypathize.
Since you’re already halfway through Season 1, you might want to slog through the rest of the season. The story really picks up steam in the last six episodes of the season, and once you get to Season 2 it’s really great. Babylon 5 is one of my all-time favorite shows, but I readily admit most of the first season is pretty lousy.
And yes, while there are some less-than-awesome actors on the show, there are several that are beyond brilliant, and their value outweighs the negatives.
As others have said, it does pick toward the end of the first season, starting with the episode, “The Coming of the Shadows,” and Seasons 2-4 are very good.
Someone else asked this same question a year or two ago, and I remember I gave an episode-by-episode breakdown of what you could skip in the first season, and what was worth seeing either in itself or to explain things that happened later; I’ll see if I can dig that up.
In my opinion, the acting does not improve significantly overall, even with the understandable jettisoning of Michael O’Hare.
Even more important, to me, the dialogue and writing are consistently wooden and embarrassing throughout the series.
Despite Babylon fans’ claims of “Paramount stole it all!,” Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a much better take on the space station setting – the writing and acting are strong throughout the series.
Battlestar Galactica is completely unlike its 1970s predecessor. It’s a serious, adult drama with dazzling writing. Don’t let memories of the old show deter you. In fact, forget you ever saw it.
Let me chime in here to say the exact opposite. ST:DS9 was a joke from beginning to end. It shared the same problem at the beginning - a lead who couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. But B5 got rid of their anchor. DS9 kept theirs and added more.
Starting with Season 2, B5 becomes the best SF TV ever screened. There are some stumbles, but the story and the characters are compelling.
“If I’ll live through this job … without completely losing my mind, it will be a miracle of biblical proportions.”
“Well, there goes my faith in the Almighty.”
– Ivanova and Lt. Corwin in Babylon 5:“A Day in the Strife”
Thank you all. I am sufficiently reassured to go ahead with plans to kill the rest of season one and start with season two. If any important plot points from the remainder of season one escape, I’ll just come back and ask my friendly neighborhood dopers for clarification. I remember like Bruce Boxleitner (sp?) back in the '80’s, and it looks they keep Ivanova which will please Mr. Cake (and me, since she is one of the two good actors in the first season, along with the doctor with the dreamy eyes.)
I thought the show was great when it was first on. Try to stick with it a bit longer and see if the over-arching shadow war story pulls you in.
The problem is the show is aging. Re-watching it now, I find many eye-rolling cring-worthy moments. Try to keep in mind that at the time, it was new, original and seemed pretty cool.
The new BSG is all the rage now, but IMHO, the characters written and developed more skillfully and consistently on B5, and the show has a lot of great dialogue. Whenever you see the Commander getting ready to launch into another speech, just fast forward.
If you like Ivanova, keep watching. She generates some of the most oft-quoted lines from the show and sometimes it’s worth it just for her.
Warning: The actress leaves at the end of Season 4, IIRC. To be replaced by some redhead who isn’t that great an actress. Fortunately, Season 5 was rather pants all around, so it’s a good place to stop watching, anyway.
You’ll get your reward. In season 2 or 3 (I don’t remember which), Marcus will come in. He’s seriously drool-worthy, English accent and all.
The interactions between Garibaldi and Molari, G’Kar and Molari, Vir and Molari, Vir and Lenir, and Lenir and Marcus are wonderful. Ivanova is delightfully pessimistic and is played by a much better actor than Bruce Boxleitner can ever hope to be.
Season 5 starts to suck terribly right from the start. Season 1 is supposed to be bad but I liked it. 2,3, and 4 are wonderful.
I am not a trekkie by any means. I watched TNG because my mother was a fan but I didn’t care much for it. I’m just now starting to see the appeal of TOS (and that’s only because my boyfriend got the animated version for Christmas). Voyager is ok, mainly because I love Kate Mulgrew. DS9 is by far the best Trek show but even that isn’t spectacular (mainly because Sisco).