# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/41 "2010-09-16T15:09:12Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > 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? Whichever order you pick, leave out “Lost Tales”. Use it as a coaster if if comes down to that. ---
**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 16, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/42 "2010-09-16T15:52:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Sure there was. Symmetry. Sheridan had three wives: one from each caste. Huh, I never noticed that. That does actually make that whole ex-wife business slightly less unpalatable. And **Gyrate** , you may well be the only person on the planet who liked TKO. ---
**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, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/43 "2010-09-16T16:01:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And **Gyrate** , you may well be the only person on the planet who liked TKO. It was a joke - I am aware of the general view of TKO. I haven’t watched it (again) yet but am not holding my breath. I also remember “Grey 13 is Missing” (or whatever it was called) being pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/44 "2010-09-16T16:31:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Symmetry. Zathras approves. ---
**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, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/45 "2010-09-16T16:40:41Z")
Zathra (the actor) died in a motorcycle accident in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/46 "2010-09-16T17:07:29Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > And **Gyrate** , you may well be the only person on the planet who liked TKO. > > It was a joke - I am aware of the general view of TKO. I haven’t watched it (again) yet but am not holding my breath. I also remember “Grey 13 is Missing” (or whatever it was called) being pretty bad. “TKO” and “Grey 17 Is Missing” both had dreadful A plots, somewhat redeemed by decent B plots. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/47 "2010-09-16T17:10:33Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > “TKO” and “Grey 17 Is Missing” both had dreadful A plots, somewhat redeemed by decent B plots. “TKO” is all about Theodore Bikel (I _love_ Theodore Bikel) and Ivanova. The boxing crap is just a distraction. ---
**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 16, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/48 "2010-09-16T18:07:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Zathra (the actor) died in a motorcycle accident in 2004. Was it a very sad death? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/49 "2010-09-16T18:17:24Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > 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!”_😛 Though I think this was deliberate - the character was _meant_ to be a bit hammy, and if memory serves the other characters sort of rolled their eyes at his schtick a few times. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/50 "2010-09-16T18:23:01Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Sure there was. Symmetry. Sheridan had three wives: one from each caste. Why the hell did I never figure that out? I mean, maybe it was deliberate and maybe it wasn’t, but that really works. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/51 "2010-09-16T18:24:13Z")
I bought this on DVD last year, still haven’t watched it yet but I loved the series, especially the build up to the Shadow War and then the Earth Civil War afterwards. ---
**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, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/52 "2010-09-16T19:32:03Z")
> [@dzero](#): > > 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. I’m pretty sure Straczynski had that planed out all along. I have the DVD box sets for each season and am going through them again. It’s kind of sad how, for lack of better words, grainy or dirty some of the scenes look. And although the bad CGI is obvious, it only occurred to me yesterday that all space scenes are CGI. ---
**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, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/53 "2010-09-16T19:58:23Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I’m pretty sure Straczynski had that planed out all along. Yes, you’re absosmufly right. I believe I had heard at the time that there was a 5 year arc and there were loose ends in season 1 that weren’t resolved until several seasons later. For pure artistry of storytelling you have to give JMS his props. ---
**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, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/54 "2010-09-16T20:05:52Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > Sure there was. Symmetry. Sheridan had three wives: one from each caste. > > Why the hell did I never figure that out? I mean, maybe it was deliberate and maybe it wasn’t, but that really works. It was deliberate. The Voice of God (JMS) said so at the time. IIRC it’s mentioned in the “JMS Speaks” notes for Season 5 over on the [Lurker’s Guide.](http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html) ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/55 "2010-09-16T20:19:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yeah, you could pretty much skip the entire fifth season, except for “Sleeping in Light”, and maybe “A View from the Galley” (another non-essential but fun one). I also liked “Day of the Dead” - absolutely heartbreaking, but it was written by Neil Gaiman, so it’s no surprise. Season 1 is pretty clunky, but seasons 2 - 4 are amazing. Of season 5, I’d only watch the three eps mentioned above, or watch them first, so you don’t miss the smaller amount of awesome. ---
**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 16, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/56 "2010-09-16T20:39:39Z")
Ah, yes, I’d forgotten that “Day of the Dead” was S5. That was a good one, too, though a little too surreal/unexplained for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/57 "2010-09-16T21:44:27Z")
I missed a JMS note at the Lurker’s Guide? Okay. I am an _idiot_. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/58 "2010-09-16T22:23:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@whiterabbit](#): > > > > Why the hell did I never figure that out? I mean, maybe it was deliberate and maybe it wasn’t, but that really works. > > It was deliberate. The Voice of God (JMS) said so at the time. IIRC it’s mentioned in the “JMS Speaks” notes for Season 5 over on the [Lurker’s Guide.](http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html) I read about an interview that JMS did where he said that he was in the shower one day and suddenly the entire plot of B5 came to him like an epiphany and he rushed out, hopefully putting on some clothes first, to try and write it all down. If true, he planned the whole thing out. The same interview mentioned that he wrote in exit stories for most of the major characters so that in case an actor dies or leaves the show, he has a way to get them out of the story without messing up the continuity ---
**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, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/59 "2010-09-16T23:46:00Z")
Although Talia Winters exit was noticeable because… guess I’d better spoil box some of this for those who haven’t seen it yet. Kosh went to all the trouble of having Abbut record her her thoughts to use later. And it turns out the reason for that was To restore Talia’s personality after her sleeper personality took over. But since Andrea Thompson quit the show in a contract dispute the second part never happened. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344/60 "2010-09-17T00:39:03Z")
But Andrea Thompson has pretty much quit every sweet gig she has ever had. [Quote=YogSothog] he said that he was in the shower one day and suddenly the entire plot of B5 came to him like an epiphany [/quote] Jonathan Livingston Babylon 5, I presume? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rewatching-babylon-5/551344.md?page=4)