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/
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?
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.
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:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.b5books.com%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FBabylon-5-Blu-ray-Diagram.png&hash=b8a7e7a79e43bc5b625aab2a626917c33eeff2a1)
This is one of the best Sci-Fi shows to have ever been produced.
Even Stark Trek massively ripped it off (DS9 anyone?).
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.
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.
Thanks man- I'll have to watch that next, before going on to ep3.
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!
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.)
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.
Londo. Lando is SW :P
They're twin brothers.
Lol. Sure.
Vir was the true hero of the series.
Or Garibaldi.
Or... really, everyone contributes, and sacrifices for the various wins. It's a fine ensemble piece. (Despite most of the pieces jumping ship before the series even gets going. ;) )
About half way through season 4. The story arc was really good.
What is depressing is how many of the main actors are now dead;
Michael O'Hare -- Cmd Sinclair
Richard Biggs -- Dr Stephen Franklin
Stephen Furst -- Vir
Andreas Katsulas -- G'Kar
Jerry Doyle -- Michael Garibaldi
Jeff Conway -- Zack Allen
So, as promised, did you figure out who the assassin/saboteur was waaaay back in The Gathering?
The answer isn't strictly important anymore, and nothing specific ever comes of it. But aside from fans making analytical guesses (with some deduction), and JMS in his internet commentaries confirming the correct guess, the show itself actually shows who it is -- but you'd have to have DVD level clarity and freeze-frame to see it.
Hint one, where the movie straight up shows you, if you can manage to look closely enough:
[spoiler]When the assassin bypasses an identicard slot to access a set of quarters, the screen near the slot briefly shows the assassin's identity.[/spoiler]
And the straight answer:
[spoiler]It was the original 2IC, Laurel Takashima, replaced at the start of the proper series by Ivanova, whose character was always slated to take over from Takashima after she's outed as an enemy agent. You may not even remember her by now. ::) But the show never properly explains who the assassin / saboteur was. It sort of handwaves in the direction of Talia, who took over part of Takashima's plotted story. Incidentally, the reason Talia left the show was because her actress had actually fallen in love with Garibaldi's actor, and they had gotten married in 1995, but the relationship soured and was headed for an eventual divorce. So she couldn't bear to work on the show anymore. Takashima's actress just had other jobs to do, since it took too long to go from the pilot movie to the series.[/spoiler]
So there is a "reboot" of Babylon 5 in the works (https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/27/22696836/babylon-5-reboot-j-michael-straczynski-warner-bros-the-cw)?
Quote from: steve58 on October 06, 2021, 04:43:41 PM
So there is a "reboot" of Babylon 5 in the works (https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/27/22696836/babylon-5-reboot-j-michael-straczynski-warner-bros-the-cw)?
Heard about this. Nice idea. Hope it works out. Not sure it will be any good after they screw with it. Look what they did with Star Trek Discovery.
the other side of the coin is what was done with BSG. :bd:
Yep and I suppose bsg did well with the new series. I loved that.
But it's against the odds I have to say. Many reboots have not done well.
^ This. I'd give my left nut for a really great Sy Fy series on TV again.
^Careful Slash...
Quote from: Sir Slash on October 07, 2021, 09:22:23 AM
^ This. I'd give my left nut for a really great Sy Fy series on TV again.
Check out the Expanse.
It scratches the itch.
Also try Altered Carbon if you're feeling even more frisky.
I liked season 1 of Altered Carbon (liked the first half better than the second) but couldn't get through season 2.
Kinda like BSG. Seasons 1 and 2 were fantastic. 3 and 4 were...not good.
^You almost broke character there for a second. Almost!
It was a close one but bitterness, spite, and negativity won out in the end so all is right in the world.
Well I personally feel much better than I did an hour ago so thank you :dreamer:
(https://www.everatlas.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/sa_1506587525_1EF56B5C-D6DA-4BE3-AE31-C79311694603-1038x1038.jpeg)
Ok I feel worse. Is that better? Perplexing...
I'm only truly happy when I'm curmudgeoning.
You are in the right place.
I guess I'm way behind. I didn't even see Babylon 1 through 4. :o
:buck2:
Quote from: Sir Slash on October 08, 2021, 10:51:07 AM
I guess I'm way behind. I didn't even see Babylon 1 through 4. :o
You didn't miss much. The first three were sabotaged by bad actors. The fourth looked like it was going to be a lot better, but was immediately pulled after first airing, for unclear reasons, and no trace of it exists now, so it's hard to say how good it would have really been in practice.
So, they tried again and again and again. But finally, they got it right. 8)
For a while anyway.
.... ^-^ >:D
Yes, this is an in-joke for fellow fans.
More seriously: having JMS on the writing team could bode well. But he also wrote the strained (at best) season 5, and the attempts at spin-offs which reaaaaaaalllly didn't work.
And this isn't a case where having a gritty clever re-imagining of the original (like BSG) with only the basic plotline and occasional nods to the original plots, has room to work. The original BSG was a case of something that needed and deserved a highly upgraded remake to flex and play around with, and even take risks with (whether those paid off or not, though for me they generally did.)
wow you casually skipped over a lot of history as to why season 5 was what it was. they thought the show was going to be cancelled so they crammed finishing all of the major plot lines in season 4 and then got the go ahead for season 5. it was always planned as a 5 season show.
the movies were ok with some better then others.
the Crusade spin off was mostly a victim of several networks being involved at once in its production and eventual cancelling. it might not be a bad place to try a re-boot.
another idea for a re-boot is an earlier conflict in humanitys going into interstellar space.
the biggest problem I have is theyre never going to recapture the lighting in a bottle duo of Lando and G'kar.