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Babylon 5

Started by OJsDad, June 23, 2018, 07:34:41 PM

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OJsDad

Now available on Amazon Prime. If you haven't seen it before I would highly recommend.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/22/babylon-5-digital-video-quality/
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

Staggerwing

I have just started watching it again. I never did see all the eps when they originally aired. Hard to imagine that most of the CGI in the first season was done on 1988-era Amiga 2000s. IIRC, SeaQuest was also done on Amigas.

How many related miniseries and special feature episodes were there in addition to the main series?
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

JasonPratt

#2
Some of the fx were redone a few years later, so it isn't all contemporary fx. Still the redones don't change much, just touch things up -- a main reason was to improve the monitors on the bridge, for example.

Quote from: Staggerwing on June 23, 2018, 07:57:17 PM
How many related miniseries and special feature episodes were there in addition to the main series?

In continuity order (more or less):

IN THE BEGINNING -- retells the story of Earth's first encounter with the elf-like Minbari, and the genocidal war that followed. Spoils some key plot points since it was made much later after the main series ended. Should probably not be watched until after Season 3's two-parter "War Without End", or even not until near the end of Season 5. (The overarching narration is set during "Objects in Motion" iirc, the climactic action to the second half of Season 5.) The first season will fill in the blanks sufficiently enough to figure out the story after the fact.

THE GATHERING -- this is the pilot movie. Despite much of the human cast changing out afterward, it sets up a number of situations and plot points that continue on into the main series. Should be watched before season 1 starts (and might be included in a season 1 compilation).

THIRDSPACE -- a filler movie that can be safely skipped, set during a period of the show without much filler! There are some continuity snarls, too, which keep it from fitting cleanly anywhere, but roughly speaking it happens somewhere around (or during?) Episode 4.9 "Atonement". It's watchable but not at all necessary.

RIVER OF SOULS -- a filler movie that hearkens back to a somewhat-filler plotline from the first season. Set just after the end of Season 5's story Ep 5.21.


I should point out here that due to the 5 plotted seasons being abandoned by the network, the show basically ties up and ends its main plots at Ep 4.21 "Rising Star". Ep 5.22 was meant to be the true finale to the series, skipping ahead several years, and so is placed at the end of the 5th season, but Ep 4.22 "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" was meant to be an epilogue to the epilogue showcasing the history of the growth of the legend of the history of the story (so to speak) over thousands of generations. When Season 5 was greenlit after all, some parts were foreshortened to add in teasers about events coming in season 5. (Or something like that. What I mean is that the final eps to Season 4 and 5 are screwy.)

Season 5 itself ends up being kind-of filler, with two main stories (dividing the season into rough halves) acting much like the second half of "Into The Woods"! -- the happy ending isn't a clean ending after all, and several things fall apart messily. Some fans like it, but I didn't. The quality drops off a lot in my opinion, and I've never watched it again.


A CALL TO ARMS -- starts a new large story arc after the events of season 5 (but long before the seasons 4 and 5 finales), and serves as the pilot film for a new series with some serious similarities to the Space Battleship Yamato / Star Blazers. The sequel series was called "Legend of the Rangers" "Babylon 5: Crusade" and due to a number of problems including rampant Executive Meddling, it was wrapped up with an aborted single season.  I gave up on it long before the season ended, and have never gone back. (Heck I didn't even remember the series name properly!)

THE LEGEND OF THE RANGERS: TO LIVE AND DIE IN STARLIGHT -- was supposed to be the pilot film of a third series, but its ratings doomed it (partly due to unlucky or unwise scheduling). I've never watched it myself.

THE LOST TALES: VOICES IN THE DARK -- was supposed to be the pilot film, sort of, for a direct-to-video intraquel series, but that didn't pan out either. Never watched it myself.


In conclusion, the only tie-in movies I recommend are The Gathering (because that starts the actual series, and may be included with season one anyway) and In The Beginning (although that's more of an official fan film and isn't really necessary for anything; it just fleshes out things we already know and have heard about, sometimes borrowing footage straight out or recreating it.) I made my own fan-edit of ITB which minimizes the narrator's situation and some other spoilery things, so that I can watch / show it 'first' safely.

I usually do watch Thirdspace, but it's far from necessary, more of a small breather arc between the main stories of Season 4.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Staggerwing

#3
Thanks for the show timeline Jason.

The original CGI scenes were not actually remastered or even 'cleaned up' since WB had lost all the full-size (16x9) CGI prints so the broadcast 4x3 filmstocks were actually cropped on top and bottom to fit widescreen. That's why the CGI looks so blurry and 'glittery' nowadays. Interesting article on why the quality of the visuals jumps back and forth so much- don't blame the Amigas:

http://b5books.com/2017/05/02/babylon-5-blu-ray-will-probably-never-happen/

Clickable:
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

Tpek

This is one of the best Sci-Fi shows to have ever been produced.
Even Stark Trek massively ripped it off (DS9 anyone?).

airboy

I have the DVD set.  There is a big overall plot arch so watching the episodes in sequence is important.

My favorite SF series ever.

OJsDad

If your going to watch on Amazon Prime, go to season 1, and scroll to the bottom of the list.  You'll find the original pilot, The Gathering, there.  Not sure why it's not at the top of the list. 
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

Staggerwing

Thanks man- I'll have to watch that next, before going on to ep3.
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

JasonPratt

The series will be referring back (with some slight retconning occasionally) to the events of "The Gathering", including for important plot points, so yes be sure to go back and watch it asap!
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

On the other hand, there is a mystery in the Gathering which never got around to being revealed, due to much of the cast dropping out between the pilot and the official series start: who was the saboteur and why?

Drop a line here once the Gathering is done, and I'll explain that plot point since it'll never show up in the series again. (But fans have deduced it with JMS' help.)
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

OJsDad

#10
Without getting into the overall story arc, I will say that Londo is the central figure in the series.  So pay attention to him as the series goes on. 
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

mirth

Londo. Lando is SW :P
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

OJsDad

They're twin brothers. 
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

mirth

"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

GDS_Starfury

Vir was the true hero of the series.
Toonces - Don't ask me, I just close my eyes and take it.

Gus - I use sweatpants with flannel shorts to soak up my crotch sweat.

Banzai Cat - There is no "partial credit" in grammar. Like anal sex. It's either in, or it's not.

Mirth - We learned long ago that they key isn't to outrun Star, it's to outrun Gus.

Martok - I don't know if it's possible to have an "anti-boner"...but I now have one.

Gus - Celery is vile and has no reason to exist. Like underwear on Star.