# Rewatching Babylon 5 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344 "2010-08-24T23:41:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/21 "2010-09-06T08:37:09Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I also ejoyed the Soul Hunter episode, whch seems to be disliked by quite a few people. Really? Why? I thought it was a great episode. The only complaint I can think of is how convenient it is for him to have to slowly drain Delenn’s soul so that Sinclair has time to find her. Other than that I don’t see any problem. On a slightly different topic, in the movie River of Souls when Dr. Franklin makes his cameo, I can swear he’s speaking with an accent. Did anybody else notice that? ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/22 "2010-09-06T08:55:32Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > > [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > > > I also ejoyed the Soul Hunter episode, whch seems to be disliked by quite a few people. > > Really? Why? I thought it was a great episode. In the other thread linked from this one it was on a few people’s skip list. I quite enjoyed it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/23 "2010-09-06T12:39:22Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I > I’m getting towards the end of season 1 now and it seems to have found its groove after nearly 20 episodes. I’d say it hasn’t found its groove at that point, but is moving toward its groove. Seasons 2-4 are where things actually get…groovy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/24 "2010-09-06T13:08:56Z")
Finished season 4 yesterday, watching 7 episodes in one day, which is unusual for me, but can be explained by the quality of the episodes. Claudia Christian did some great work as the absolutely torn apart Cmdr. Ivanova after the death of Marcus. The new president is hard to watch because her accent and dialog all seems so forced, but the payoff of the General going from lording it over Sheridan to realizing he’s now well above him is great. I never liked the bit about Lita being forced to work for Psi-corps for money after all she did for the Alliance. They should have been kissing her ass and keeping her on as their Official Telepath Representative. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/25 "2010-09-06T14:45:36Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I never liked the bit about Lita being forced to work for Psi-corps for money after all she did for the Alliance. They should have been kissing her ass and keeping her on as their Official Telepath Representative. Yeah, it was to force her into joining Vidal Sassoon’s Telepath Revolution, and it made no sense. I know sometimes war heroes get left behind by history and end up sad, depressed, and suicidal, but those are usually down to PTSD and a lack of peacetime skills - NOT because everyone who spent years depending on them suddenly became an amnesiac asshole. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Camus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@Camus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Camus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/26 "2010-09-06T15:45:33Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I don’t own Season 1. I’d like to, but back when I had money, I somehow missed out on getting it. So I had to start with Season 2. Then, as I watched, I limited myself to the really meaningful Arc episodes. Season 1 and 2 are also available on Hulu, limited unfortunately to US-based users. [QUOTE=Walker in Eternity] I’m getting towards the end of season 1 now and it seems to have found its groove after nearly 20 episodes. I haven’t skipped and episodes but have watched some of the early ones with my finger pressed on FF. [/QUOTE] I first found B5 during season 2 in its initial syndication run and only watched season 1 when it was first featured on Hulu a few years back. It seems like one third of the first season involves Ivanova emphasizing that she’s Russian or has this or that Russian attitude. Thankfully they dropped that fast in season 2. Sinclair from “War Without End” was an interesting, if deliberately arch, character. Sinclair in season 1 seemed exasperated or in over-his-head most of the time. If only season 1 could have been about this journey instead of just showing the result. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/27 "2010-09-06T22:45:25Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The new president is hard to watch because her accent and dialog all seems so forced, but the payoff of the General going from lording it over Sheridan to realizing he’s now well above him is great. JMS said there were a lot of people complaining about how fake her accent was. The catch? The actress, [Beata Pozniak](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0694796/), is Polish. That’s her real accent. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/28 "2010-09-06T23:13:54Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Really? Why? I thought it was a great episode. The only complaint I can think of is how convenient it is for him to have to slowly drain Delenn’s soul so that Sinclair has time to find her. Other than that I don’t see any problem. > On a slightly different topic, in the movie River of Souls when Dr. Franklin makes his cameo, I can swear he’s speaking with an accent. Did anybody else notice that? The series is mostly a relatively hard-sf (for TV at least) world and I didn’t like the mysticism stuff that’d crop up here and there, like the soul hunters. I guess maybe there was an attempt to explain them, but I could see that as being the main objection. The only mysticism I actually did really like were the centauri prophecies - but mostly because it was really interesting to know very early on what you think would happen, but then as the series develop, have it end up being something completely different yet logical. I’ve been thinking about rewatching B5. I doubt it has aged well. The theatric/lame kind of dialog is probably even more jarring, the effects are dated I’m sure although I still appreciate the relatively minimalist but detailed and plausible (starfury physics, etc) effects of seasons 1-3 over the more technically advanced and prolific stuff of season 4-5 where they let the attention to detail fade a bit in a quest for more grandness. And we’re sort of spoiled by modern TV. In the mid-90s, we didn’t have long form stories told over episodes in a very smart and interesting way like The Sopranos or Breaking Bad. So having Babylon 5 basically film a novel over 100+ hours of television was new and really impressive. None of the shows that have followed it have plotted with such detail over such a long time, but it doesn’t seem like that big a deal, whereas for its time, it was. I’d still recommend it to people, with the caveat that they should just tolerate anything dated or cheesy and still enjoy the good parts. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/29 "2010-09-06T23:54:46Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve just bought the B5 box set with the entire series plus the movies and Crusade. After about season 3 or so, watch the _In the Beginning_ movie. It’s the tale of the Earth-Mimbari war, and the framing story is also a lovely little slice of later events. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/30 "2010-09-07T00:18:14Z")
I also loved Crusade and couldn’t understand why it didn’t make it past 12 or 13 episodes given the popularity of B5. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/31 "2010-09-07T00:52:38Z")
Because the studio fucked with it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/32 "2010-09-07T00:57:48Z")
[quote=“SenorBeef, post:28, topic:551344”] The series is mostly a relatively hard-sf (for TV at least) world and I didn’t like the mysticism stuff that’d crop up here and there [quote] The “mysticism” of souls being real is part of the Universe, but other than things like the Day of the Dead, there isn’t really anything supernatural. In a Universe where Telepathy, Telekenesis and the like are real, I have no problem with it. They established the parameters up front and stayed within them. > [@](#): > > The theatric/lame kind of dialog is probably even more jarring Well, when you get John Shuck basically stepping out as Drahl and playing Master Thespian… Every time I saw him I would do a little MST3K bit, putting words in his mouth… _“I am a GREAT BIG HAM!”_😛 ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/33 "2010-09-09T08:32:55Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > > > I > > I’m getting towards the end of season 1 now and it seems to have found its groove after nearly 20 episodes. > > I’d say it hasn’t found its groove at that point, but is moving toward its groove. Seasons 2-4 are where things actually get…groovy. 🙂 I’ve just watched the opening two episodes to season two and have been most impressed. Looking forward to working my way through the rest of the box set. This could take some time. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/34 "2010-09-09T15:54:49Z")
I didn’t like season 5 either but it was more for the Tracy Scoggins character. . Maybe if it had been a classmate at Star Fleet Academy (or whatever they had) who remained loyal to Earthforce it might have worked. But all of a sudden John Sheridan has an ex wife whom nobody ever heard of??? It’s like Spock’s half-brother in the Shatner-disaster film. You knew when you heard that, it was doomed. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/35 "2010-09-16T08:51:59Z")
On to the third disc in season 2 now and the pace is really picking up. Just watched “All alone in the night”. Not the best episode, but the first one in which I start to be less anoyed by Sheridan as a character. I know he gets better later on, but I was one of those annoyed when they removed Sinclair from the show and wrote in Sheridan. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/36 "2010-09-16T09:20:48Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > On to the third disc in season 2 now and the pace is really picking up. Just watched “All alone in the night”. Not the best episode, but the first one in which I start to be less anoyed by Sheridan as a character. I know he gets better later on, but I was one of those annoyed when they removed Sinclair from the show and wrote in Sheridan. According to Wikipedia Straczynski and O’Hare mutually agreed to that. I think I read somewhere that O’Hare wanted to do more stage work, but I could be misremembering that. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/37 "2010-09-16T12:30:50Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > > [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > > > On to the third disc in season 2 now and the pace is really picking up. Just watched “All alone in the night”. Not the best episode, but the first one in which I start to be less anoyed by Sheridan as a character. I know he gets better later on, but I was one of those annoyed when they removed Sinclair from the show and wrote in Sheridan. > > According to Wikipedia Straczynski and O’Hare mutually agreed to that. I think I read somewhere that O’Hare wanted to do more stage work, but I could be misremembering that. If I ever need my swash buckled, I might prefer Sheridan, but he annoyed the fuck out of me from day one. I did appreciate the bone thrown to fans later in the series when they brought back Sinclair as Valen. So I have to give them credit at least for that. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/38 "2010-09-16T12:34:12Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > I didn’t like season 5 either but it was more for the Tracy Scoggins character. . Maybe if it had been a classmate at Star Fleet Academy (or whatever they had) who remained loyal to Earthforce it might have worked. But all of a sudden John Sheridan has an ex wife whom nobody ever heard of??? It’s like Spock’s half-brother in the Shatner-disaster film. You knew when you heard that, it was doomed. I hated Tracy Scoggins well before she appeared on the show, so this was a Very Bad Move ™ for the show from my perspective. I have the Season 5 box sitting on my coffee table right now, and every time I look at it I get irritated with the massive stupidity that was “oh, and she was married to Sheridan a long time ago”. No fucking reason for them to have had any kind of prior relationship. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/39 "2010-09-16T12:46:22Z")
Sure there was. Symmetry. Sheridan had three wives: one from each caste. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/40 "2010-09-16T12:47:25Z")
I recently bought the complete box set (all seasons, all movies, all of Crusades and something called “Lost Tales”) and am slowly making my way through Season 1 at the moment - I’m just up to the excellent [sic] “TKO”. I saw Seasons 1-3 and occasional episodes of Seasons 4 and 5 during the original run (I moved to a new country around then) so I have a pretty good idea what happened, but it’s nice to be able to fill in the gaps. Looking at the Amazon site there appears to be some dispute as to the best order to watch them all in (i.e. where to watch the movies). Any suggestions from you all? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344.md?page=3)