Bab 5

[Night Monkey]

I've noticed that the complete Babylon 5 (all series, plus fims and other stuff) is available on Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Babylon-Complete-Collection-Exclusive-Amazon-co-uk/dp/B000WDSRG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260393717&sr=8-1) for under 60 quid. I enjoyed the episodes from season one that I have seen, and liked at least some of the films that I have also seen.

Bargain?

[warty goblin]

Absolutely, as long as you don't mind the cleanup. From when your head explodes. From the awesome.

[TheThan]

I agree, its one of the best sci-fi shows that’s ever been out.


Also you can find episodes on Hulu.

[Ravens_cry]

Also you can find episodes on Hulu.
Considering they said quid, and mentioned Amazon . co . UK, I doubt Hulu is an option for them.
Babylon 5 is indeed awesome.

[Mercenary Pen]

Certainly as close to a bargain as you'll get this side of Christmas... for the series that had one of the greatest impacts on breaking the planet-of-the-week mould that most SF conformed to (yes, on top of being pure awesome)

[Winterwind]

I agree, it's one of the best sci-fi shows that’s ever been out. Fixed it. :smallamused:

[horngeek]

Agreed.

And given a line from it directly gave rise to the name of this site...

[Night Monkey]

Agreed.

And given a line from it directly gave rise to the name of this site...

Yes, I am very aware of how much the show has influenced our beloved Giant. This pleases me.

Thanks for your comments so far guys. I love the ridiculous unanimity. I may well be a fellow obsessive before too long.

[Grimlock]

Yes a veritable bargain indeed!
(musing- under 60 quid eh? May have to get it myself!)
A great show, one of the best SF shows out there in my opinion!

[Athaniar]

I definitely agree that's it's awesome, and it's probably my all-time favorite show. If you haven't watched it, watch it. All of it. But not Crusade, you can avoid that one.

[Grimlock]

I never watched Crusade, couldn't quite bring myself to do it! Was it really that bad?

[factotum]

I've only seen a few episodes of it and I have to say I didn't think it was that bad. What it was missing, in the main, were the awesome cast of characters B5 had--there wasn't anyone in Crusade fit to lick the boots of Londo Mollari or G'Kar.

[Brother Oni]

Well I saw Night Monkey's original post and bought it on the spot.

5+ seasons of great sci-fi for under 60 quid? Yes please! :smallbiggrin:

[Ilena]

Aside from the ... B5 is awesome and still the best single series of tv shows to date, with the new BSG coming a close second for likablility for me. Ya id buy it, if i saw the complete series for 100 bucks id buy it, 1 season is like 100 bucks right now ;P But ya id buy it in a second.

[Winterwind]

I never watched Crusade, couldn't quite bring myself to do it! Was it really that bad?I've watched all of it, and I don't think it was bad at all, it just suffered from a couple of issues that all were not really its fault. Namely, it ended before it had time to properly build up its plot, so its totally episodic - kinda like Babylon 5 would have been if it had ended in its first season, as while there was an ongoing story building up, most of the first season's episodes were stand-alones, the real ongoing plot where you could not miss a single episode without missing out on something important started only with season two. Same with Crusade.

And, there was a huge amount of executive meddling, including airing the episodes completely out of order. And you can imagine what this did to what little ongoing story was already present there...

This said, its X-Files parody was one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen. :smallbiggrin:

[Lord Seth]

Well I saw Night Monkey's original post and bought it on the spot.

3 seasons of great sci-fi for under 60 quid? Yes please! :smallbiggrin:Fixed. :smallsmile:

[Athaniar]

I've only seen a few episodes of it and I have to say I didn't think it was that bad. What it was missing, in the main, were the awesome cast of characters B5 had--there wasn't anyone in Crusade fit to lick the boots of Londo Mollari or G'Kar.

That's my main reason for disliking it as well. In fact, that is my main reason for disliking most, if not all, series I dislike.

[Ridureyu]

B5 was one of the best plot-driven series out there. It managed not to get as wrapped up in itself as pretty much all the other ones now. Crusade was... an example of Executive Meddling.

[warty goblin]

That's my main reason for disliking it as well. In fact, that is my main reason for disliking most, if not all, series I dislike.

Man, you must not like a lot of series if they've gotta have G'Kar in them...

[factotum]

Man, you must not like a lot of series if they've gotta have G'Kar in them...

We are all G'Kar. :smallsmile:

[Athaniar]

Man, you must not like a lot of series if they've gotta have G'Kar in them...
It's not the character, it's the acting. To make my statement even simpler: good actors = good series, bad actors = bad series. Understand now?

[thompur]

It's not the character, it's the acting. To make my statement even simpler: good actors = good series, bad actors = bad series. Understand now?

I slightly disagree: Good Writers= good series, bad writers=bad series.
As much as I love Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, If the writing was bad, Babylon 5 would have failed. Although , to be fair, without those very talented gentlemen, B5 wouldn't have been nearly as good, or fun.

[Night Monkey]

Thanks for your encouragement people. I have been watching my new DVDs and don't regret the purchase for a moment.

[Muz]

I slightly disagree: Good Writers= good series, bad writers=bad series.
As much as I love Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, If the writing was bad, Babylon 5 would have failed. Although , to be fair, without those very talented gentlemen, B5 wouldn't have been nearly as good, or fun.

Silly Thompur. Good writers don't do anything for a TV series, a movie, a video game, or anything else. The only thing that matters to quality is FX technology that we can show in ads to look snazzy. That's what gets people talking. That's what makes them buy the HD TVs and 3D TVs and home theaters and Smell-O-Vision(tm) goggles! When was the last time you saw a device in the stores that you could buy to enhance the writing of a show? Never, that's when!

Good writers. Hah! Next thing you'll be telling us a show needs "consistency" and "respect for its audience." :smallwink:

[Jamin]

Please tell me it gets better. I watched the 1st 3 eps and was not impressed.

[SDF]

Yeah, I've been trying to watch it on HULU and the writing, acting, and action is terrible so far. I remember this show being good, but it seems lately that I've been really disappointed with a lot of the things I liked from my childhood.

[Kairamek]

Please tell me it gets better. I watched the 1st 3 eps and was not impressed.

It's gets better. A hell of alot better and pretty fast. Season 1 is... rough. It's establishing itself. The characters and the setting are being defined, the technology isn't quite there (remember kids: S1 was pre-Toy Story, pre-Reboot, hell it was the first TV series to use CG at all.) and even if it was the funding wasn't.
Season 2 starts, we see a little bit better effects, a bit more money spent on them, and that guy from Tron shows up...

[xPANCAKEx]

first season is mostly rubbish

season 2-4 are decent

season 5 just felt like a massive tack-on to tie up lose ends

its was a great programme, broke a lot of ground for its time, but if you compare it to modern stuff (say BSG re-imagined) it feels woefully inadiquate. The script writing even in later series sometimes feels amatuer and cliche-ridden when he could have pushed for something bigger. Garibaldi was a prime example of this... although the wooden acting in places probably didn't help either.

Not to say i don't love B5, or that BSG is without its flaws too (last season was mostly pants), but save your cash. Or buy firefly.

[Lord of the Helms]

Bargain indeed. I got the same offer from Amazon.de, more or less: The complete set for 80 Euros was a bargain


Please tell me it gets better. I watched the 1st 3 eps and was not impressed.

It gets better. There, happy? :P

More elaborately: The first season is, by and large, the weakest of the series, and as some others noted, it is still somewhat stuck in its episodic format. It starts to get going with the eighth episode and really kicks off with the thirteenth, the season namer "Signs and Portents", where the overreaching arc grows into focus. And yes, as others said, season two is where it truly takes a couple of levels in pure awesomeness, as it moves over to a massive arc format, meanwhile gaining better effects and makeup, some better actors while the existing ones are getting more proficient.

[EndlessWrath]

I've noticed that the complete Babylon 5 (all series, plus fims and other stuff) is available on Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Babylon-Complete-Collection-Exclusive-Amazon-co-uk/dp/B000WDSRG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260393717&sr=8-1) for under 60 quid. I enjoyed the episodes from season one that I have seen, and liked at least some of the films that I have also seen.

Bargain?

I'm not sure about a bargain cause I don't know the Dollar -> quid ratio, but I'd get it >.>'

I have all the seasons and watched all of the show

I love babylon 5, not only is it a great show, but there is a lot of good themes and great actors. I warn you they got rid of some characters from season 1, but season 1 wasn't my favorite anyways. The other seasons are really epic. I suggest getting it if you like sci-fi shows with depth, meaning, and will make you think (along with a great amount of humor and some good drama and fun.)

I say go for it.

-Wrath

[magellan]

And let us not forget that season 1 special effects (and 2 as well, i think... up to 3?) were done on Amigas...

[Jamin]

I am really trying to understand what people see in this show but to me me it seems bad like really bad.

[Winterwind]

I am really trying to understand what people see in this show but to me me it seems bad like really bad.Just to name a few things:
- a complex, season-overarching plot that deals with matters of an incredible scale
- excellent writing that does not shy away from addressing serious issues
- deep, multi-layered characters, who have both their flaws and inner demons as well as strengths and crowning moments of awesome

This said, I'll just summarize that I consider Babylon 5 to be the best series on TV period. It can easily take the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises at once and wipe the floor with them from here to Andromeda. The only other series I know that came close to its glory - but still did not quite manage to equal it - was the new BSG.

[Night Monkey]

Regarding some previous comments, I have now seen lots of season 2, and it's barely recognisable as the same tacky, yet lovable, show I saw the first season of a few years back. It's much more sophisticated and mature, and the development of Londo and G'Kar is superb. Also, Sheridan is much better acted than was Sinclair. I very much look forward to seeing more and showing it to my geek friends.

[Lord Seth]

I am really trying to understand what people see in this show but to me me it seems bad like really bad.By your own admission, you've only seen the first three episodes, and as multiple people have said here, the first season was fairly weak. It's like watching only the episode "Spock's Brain" of Star Trek: The Original Series and wondering why so many people liked Star Trek. You can hardly judge a series on just a few episodes of what was a weak season (season five wasn't that great either). Seasons two, three, and four were awesome though.

[Kallisti]

Regarding some previous comments, I have now seen lots of season 2, and it's barely recognisable as the same tacky, yet lovable, show I saw the first season of a few years back. It's much more sophisticated and mature, and the development of Londo and G'Kar is superb. Also, Sheridan is much better acted than was Sinclair. I very much look forward to seeing more and showing it to my geek friends.

Oh, god, yes. It took me three tries to get through all of season one and watch the rest of the show. One of the best decisions I ever made, which goes more to show how mundane my life is, but it's still a superb show.

People who are bashing on B5, go watch it. If you've watched the entire show and still don't like it, then I'll entertain your comments. I bash on Twilight all the time, but only because I've read the entire series and can make an informed judgement.

Also, it's our wonderful playground's namesake, so that makes it doubly awesome.

[Jamin]

By your own admission, you've only seen the first three episodes, and as multiple people have said here, the first season was fairly weak. It's like watching only the episode "Spock's Brain" of Star Trek: The Original Series and wondering why so many people liked Star Trek. You can hardly judge a series on just a few episodes of what was a weak season (season five wasn't that great either). Seasons two, three, and four were awesome though.

But why should I have to watch bad stuff so I can watch good stuff.

[Night Monkey]

But why should I have to watch bad stuff so I can watch good stuff.

Not that I wish to judge, but I can't help but notice your paying homage to Plan 9 from Outer Space in your sig. Surely you can't be that opposed to watching bad stuff?

[EndlessWrath]

But why should I have to watch bad stuff so I can watch good stuff.

To be fair... You should give every show a little room. Shows don't just take everyone off the bat, those that do are wonderful! But a lot of great shows can't be fully appreciated until after a certain while. 3 episodes hardly sounds befitting. Given that I'm not the biggest fan of the man that played Cinclair, I can understand why you think the first 3 episodes suck. But 3 episodes do not make a show. Watch the show. Than make a judgement.

-Wrath

[Lord Seth]

But why should I have to watch bad stuff so I can watch good stuff.If you don't want to watch season one, that's fine, but don't go and say "I can't see why people like this" when you haven't seen what it is people like about it.

(Though if you really want to, you could skip to season two, if you're willing to be a bit confused at first due to missing season one)

[Jamin]

If you don't want to watch season one, that's fine, but don't go and say "I can't see why people like this" when you haven't seen what it is people like about it.

(Though if you really want to, you could skip to season two, if you're willing to be a bit confused at first due to missing season one)

I am just trying to understand why people like it. I love the new BSG and was told B5 is similar. I have see up to eps 6 now and it seems to be getting a bit better.

[EndlessWrath]

I am just trying to understand why people like it. I love the new BSG and was told B5 is similar. I have see up to eps 6 now and it seems to be getting a bit better.

I promise you. The show continues to get better. Characters get deeper backgrounds, the show more complex, the themes broader and the story line far more important. I love that show, I've watched it for 10 years now and its still my favorite show. Honestly. season one was my least favorite, but it is important to watch.

-Wrath

[zyphyr]

By the time you get to the end of Season 2 you will be a convert. Probably before then.

[Kairamek]

But why should I have to watch bad stuff so I can watch good stuff.

Because it's part of the overall plot. Season 1 establishes a few themes and several events that, if skipped, will cause later episodes to not make sense.

Imagine, if you will, trying to introduce someone to OotS. Now they are fans of good stories, good characters with plenty of development, but not really gamers. So 'Dungeon Crawlin' Fools' is rife with game mechanics and rules jokes, and the overall story is mentioned in passing at best. Not really what that person would want to read, and if we were being totally honest it is the weakest of the books. So you have them skip ahead to 'No Cure for the Paladin Blues.' Now your friend is trying to get into the series but why is the green guys necklace talking, what gate is the angry paladin talking about, and these guys (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html) come right the **** out of nowhere and don't get mentioned again till the montage at the end. That's right, the Linear Guild turns into a BLAM (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BigLippedAlligatorMoment).

In short: It gets better. It's worth the time. If you like BSG and OotS you're most likely going to enjoy this. We cannot defend this statement without spoiling it, and that's no fun for anybody. I mean would you want to tell you the truth about Shojo, the Being of Pure Law And Good, and how the Battle of Azure City ends to get you to keep reading? Heck no! You'd want to be suprised as it comes along.

[magellan]

Because it's part of the overall plot. Season 1 establishes a few themes and several events that, if skipped, will cause later episodes to not make sense.


I am trying to remember, and maybe one or 2 things in the pilot are slightly enlightening, but other than that: really? Season 2 was almost but not quite a reboot, including a new main character.

So I say: Don't, start with season 2, and then stop at season 4. You propably will want to see 5 by that time, but it's unfortunately not worth it.

Remember: When Babylon 5 was on air, there VHS was still the main medium to store movies, and local stores would usually have a movie section, but not or just a very small TV show section. Getting stuff through other chanels was unheard of. The producers made the show with the fact that many will miss one or 2 or more episodes every now and then, and might not have access to the newsgroup.

[qcbtnsrm]

I am just trying to understand why people like it. I love the new BSG and was told B5 is similar. I have see up to eps 6 now and it seems to be getting a bit better.

Honestly I suggest you watch ep13 - Signs and Portents and ep22 - Chrysalis. They are by a long shot the most story arc centric. After that skip to season two.

Then once you have completed season two you can go back and see the rest of season one if you want. You will miss some references, but there is no reason to sit through the dross until you know if you like the gold.

[Lord Seth]

Honestly I suggest you watch ep13 - Signs and Portents and ep22 - Chrysalis. They are by a long shot the most story arc centric. After that skip to season two.I'd say episodes 18 through 20 ("A Voice in the Wilderness, Parts 1 & 2" and "Babylon Squared") are worth watching too, both because I remember them being good and also because they set up some stuff later. Episode 21 isn't so important though.


So I say: Don't, start with season 2, and then stop at season 4. You propably will want to see 5 by that time, but it's unfortunately not worth it.Honestly, I was disappointed by the last episode of season 4. The penultimate episode is great, but the last episode seemed to have some problems with the pacing.

The "100 years later" part is good, but the "500 years later" portion goes on too long as does the "1000 years later". And then we completely skip from that to "1,000,000" years later. It just feels disjointed. I wish they had shortened the "500 years later" and "1000 years later" parts and then used the extra time to put in a time period between "1000 years later" and "1,000,000 years later" to bridge the gap better.

As to season 5, it also definitely had some big problems with pacing (it's what happens when you end up taking what was supposed to be half a season and making it one full season) but it does wrap up some points. I guess I'd say "watch season 5, and if you get bored, just stop watching it."

[Strawberries]

Honestly I suggest you watch ep13 - Signs and Portents and ep22 - Chrysalis. They are by a long shot the most story arc centric. After that skip to season two.

I'd say episodes 18 through 20 ("A Voice in the Wilderness, Parts 1 & 2" and "Babylon Squared") are worth watching too, both because I remember them being good and also because they set up some stuff later. Episode 21 isn't so important though.


Well, if you are absolutely, positively HATING the first season, this is a good advice, I suppose.
Otherwise I wouldn’t suggest skipping ahead. Sure, as many have said, the first season is the weakest, but I still feel it’s needed to establish the setting, and to make you care about characters

One example in particular. Londo. Without the portrait of Londo we get in the first season (a drunken, washed-up Centauri who could still manage to be quite sweet at times) his overall arc wouldn’t be quite so tragic or compelling
And personally I didn’t find the first season to be bad. It’s still an enjoyable watch in my opinion. It’s just that the show gets so much better than that. I went from “Well, it is a decent show, fun to spend 40 minutes on and with some good ideas” (first season) to “HOLY…THIS IS AWESOME!” (second season, around “The coming of shadows” :smallwink:)

[lin_fusan]

I wonder if someone on this board should create a Season 1 primer, of all of the essential episodes to knock out the episodic, filler episodes.

I personally think that the awesomeness of the show is exemplified by the fact that there are lines in the pilot that foreshadow stuff that happens later in the show, and the pilot movie was shown a year before the first ep of the series!

[Zom B]

By the way, I'm not the only one that initially reads this thread's title as "Base Attack Bonus 5", right? No? Okay.

[EndlessWrath]

Unfortunately I can't help but disagree with you there. I don't read base attack bonus 5 but then again..I'm a babylon 5 nut >.>

---------

I would suggest watching all of season one. Despite what other playgrounders have said, the show should be watched from start to finish. The show gets increasingly better and although I'm not the biggest fan on Sinclair (or however you spell it) it does give you quite a few different looks on a lot of other characters in the show.. including my favorites Mr.Garibaldi, Londo Molari, G'kar, Dr. Franklin, and Susan Ivanovah. The show has amazing characters in it portrayed well by some pretty good actors. I suggest from start to finish, to enjoy all of Kosh and all of this and that. Some of its hard, but it does set the scene pretty well so you can appreciate the next few seasons very well.

-Wrath

[factotum]

Honestly, I was disappointed by the last episode of season 4. The penultimate episode is great, but the last episode seemed to have some problems with the pacing.


That's because the REAL last episode of season 4 is the one that is now the last episode of Season 5--remember, the show was facing the threat of cancellation at that point, which is why J.M. Straczynski was forced to cram so much into season 4 and why season 5 was so weak--there wasn't much left to put in it! I really wish I could have a few minutes alone in a room with the network exec who made that decision...for a little heart to heart, honestly; the baseball bat is just there for my protection!

[Lord Seth]

That's because the REAL last episode of season 4 is the one that is now the last episode of Season 5--remember, the show was facing the threat of cancellation at that point, which is why J.M. Straczynski was forced to cram so much into season 4 and why season 5 was so weak--there wasn't much left to put in it!The problems in the final episode of season 4 had nothing to do with the threat of cancellation. It had bad pacing because it spent too much time on the second and third (especially the second) time periods, and then jumped so rapidly to the fourth without any kind of bridge. These problems could have been easily fixed by shortening the amount of time spent on the too-long-spent-on time periods, and then inserting a new time period to better bridge the gap. The fact this was not done had nothing to do with the threat of cancellation (unless your claim is "they were rushed and didn't do a good job" though I'm not sure if that's true or not). But ultimately, trying to explain why something is bad does nothing to change the fact that it is bad. As SF Debris (sfdebris.com) (who I am shamelessly plugging) said in the opening to his Star Trek V review (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cnFOBOaB8E):

I know about the budget issues. I know about the effects issues. I know there was a teamster strike. Yes, I did read Shatner's movie memoirs book. And the one about this film that his daughter did. Yes, I watched the special features and the commentary. . . And it all boils down to the same thing: For whatever reason this movie sucks. The problem is, it still sucks.
Anyway...

I really wish I could have a few minutes alone in a room with the network exec who made that decision...for a little heart to heart, honestly; the baseball bat is just there for my protection!What "decision" was this? I was under the impression that the channel Babylon 5 was on was collapsing and they weren't sure Babylon 5 could really be on it anymore. At most that can be accused of being a lack of a decision, if it even qualifies as that. The only "decision" was by TNT to pick it up for its final season.

[zyphyr]

The problems in the final episode of season 4 had nothing to do with the threat of cancellation.

That isn't what he was saying.

"Sleeping in Light" - the series finale was filmed for the end of Season 4 when they believed that Season 4 was the end of the series.

When they found out they were going to actually get a Season 5, they could no longer use "Sleeping in Light" to finish Season 4. JMS had to rush to write a new S4 finale and get it filmed fast enough to actually be the S4 finale. The result was "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars".

The combination of "I already wrapped things up" and "I don't have much time" lead to the problems. It doesn't excuse them, it just explains them.



What "decision" was this? I was under the impression that the channel Babylon 5 was on was collapsing and they weren't sure Babylon 5 could really be on it anymore. At most that can be accused of being a lack of a decision, if it even qualifies as that. The only "decision" was by TNT to pick it up for its final season.

For this, I assume he is refering to the internal issues at Warner Brothers. Some executive made the (completely justifiable) decision that having both a Network (The WB) and a syndication packaging operation (PTEN, where B5 was) was a pointless redundancy. Instead of moving B5 over to The WB, internal politics (both groups really disliked each other) lead to it being cancelled. The smarter move would have been to keep it around for that year - it was getting better ratings that most of the programs on The WB at the time. The only shows on The WB with decent ratings at the time were Buffy and 7th Heaven.

[factotum]

Zyphyr explained it better than I could have...those were both the points I was making, yes.

[Strawberries]

With so many people who have posted saying they love the show, I'd like to take advantage of this thread to ask.

What was your favourite episode/character/line in the show? Is there something in particular that made you think? I'll post mine, spoilered for those who haven't yet seen the show.

My favourite character is, hands down, Londo. But then I already talked about why in my previous post.
I love in particular the second season, with my favourite episode being "The long, twilight struggle" - there is simply such powerful acting in that episode, the scenes of Londo watching the distruction of Narn that he himself has caused, and of G'kar, when he delivers his speech in council after the surrender get to me every time I rewatch it. It's also the episode that has my favourite dialogue of the show, the excange between Refa and Londo: "We have treaties...." "INK on a PAGE!". Sadly, so true.
So...how about you?

[Kairamek]

Also in Spoilers, though techincally the statue of limitations of B5 spoilers ran out a few years back.

G'Kar is my favorite character. His redemption arc is just outstanding. The episode where he realizes just how destructive the power of his hate had become and breaks down is one of the best moments of the series. As one man said "The true measure of an action story is how quiet is it in it's quietest moments."

As for favorite episode, it is very hard to choose. Deconstruction of Falling Stars rates highly for me. Watching the effect of a legacy over time was great. Especially the +1000 years segement. That almost befuddled old monk was fantastic :D

[Lord of the Helms]

The problems in the final episode of season 4 had nothing to do with the threat of cancellation. It had bad pacing because it spent too much time on the second and third (especially the second) time periods, and then jumped so rapidly to the fourth without any kind of bridge. These problems could have been easily fixed by shortening the amount of time spent on the too-long-spent-on time periods, and then inserting a new time period to better bridge the gap. The fact this was not done had nothing to do with the threat of cancellation (unless your claim is "they were rushed and didn't do a good job" though I'm not sure if that's true or not). But ultimately, trying to explain why something is bad does nothing to change the fact that it is bad.

Eh, your mileage may vary, a lot at that. I really enjoyed The Deconstruction of Falling Stars, one of my favorites in the series, for the look it took at the future and the impact the characters' actions had, and for the themes presented (the use and abuse of history by political factions, how the principal actors of one time can become anything from ideological villain-strawmen to borderline mythical heroes), chief among them the idea that while humanity has its issues and is very far from perfect in the Babylon Fiveviverse, it still is able to pull itself together and achieve great things as well. That's why the final scene felt so poignant, showing what we'd eventually come through to achieve in the very, very far future, arriving at the place of precursors ready to make room for those that come after us, one of the main themes of the series. I also really loved the second one - the manipulation of history was one thing, but the total Oh Crap moment when that guy realized just what our beloved Mr. Garibaldi had pulled off was oh so very wonderful on an entirely different level.

[Winterwind]

I also really loved the second one - the manipulation of history was one thing, but the total Oh Crap moment when that guy realized just what our beloved Mr. Garibaldi had pulled off was oh so very wonderful on an entirely different level.And watching evil Sheridan was pretty hilarious, too. Disturbing, but hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

[Kairamek]

And watching evil Sheridan was pretty hilarious, too. Disturbing, but hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

Commentary for that says he wouldn't stop. Bruce just kept ad-libbing and going on and on. It was so different from what he's done before that he just went to town on it.

Evil oration is fun :smallamused:

[thompur]

[QUOTE=Strawberries;7711748]With so many people who have posted saying they love the show, I'd like to take advantage of this thread to ask.

What was your favourite episode/character/line in the show? Is there something in particular that made you think? I'll post mine, spoilered for those who haven't yet seen the show.

Favorite characters: Londo and G'Kar.
Favorite line and one I quote often using Londo's voice:
"WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU MOONFACED ASSASSIN OF JOY?"

[Brother Oni]

My favourite is by Lennier: W-woohoo? :smallbiggrin:

[Winterwind]

My favourite would be Sheridan's line to Kosh after questioning him why he chose to reveal himself and save him from his fall, paraphrased: "This is exactly the kind of answer I have come to expect from a Vorlon - brief, straight to the point, and completely useless!" :smallbiggrin:
Either that, or Kosh's reply to that.
"Good."
:smallcool:

Though Kosh's exchange with Sinclair in season 1 was pretty awesome, too.
Kosh: "They are a dying people. We should let them pass."
Sinclair: "Who? The Narn, or the Centauri?"
Kosh: "Yes."
:smallbiggrin:

[factotum]

I always liked Sebastian's lines at the end of "Comes the Inquisitor":

"I do hope your crusade goes better than mine, Captain. Remembered not as a prophet, not as a reformer, not as a hero; not even remembered as Sebastian. Remembered only as Jack."

[Sprainogre]

I always liked Sebastian's lines at the end of "Comes the Inquisitor":

"I do hope your crusade goes better than mine, Captain. Remembered not as a prophet, not as a reformer, not as a hero; not even remembered as Sebastian. Remembered only as Jack."
That was a great line.

My favorite episodes are:
Gropos - Why? It's just a fun episode that hits on some points brought up again and again in the series about soldiers and war.
Passing Through Gethsemane - Why? It's a great episode, even if it has little to do with the greater plot.
A Late Delivery from Avalon - Why? I wanted him to be King Arthur so bad.
Endgame - Why? The conclusion of the war between B5/The Alliance and Earth. So many great scenes it's hard to chose just one!
A View from the Gallery - Why? You get to follow around a pair of blue color folk as they just deal with living and working on B5.
Day of the Dead - Why? Written by Gaimen? Penn and Teller guest star? An awesome message from beyond that sets up the last episode? Sure, radically different feel from the rest of the series, but I really liked it.
Sleeping in Light - Why? It was an incredible ending to an incredible series.

The problem with Crusade, is that when they canned it when it was just starting to get better. The cast was settling into their roles a bit better, some of the subplots had been revealed, and the writers seems to have really begun to get the right balance with the cast. Oh well.

[Kairamek]

Vir - "I want to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head..." I'll leave that hanging :D

[Strawberries]

Vir - "I want to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head..." I'll leave that hanging :D

:smallbiggrin: That was pretty awesome...as was the payoff, several episodes later.

I also liked a lot the voiceovers in the credits and how they became darker with each season. Ivanova's "It failed" in the third season had a big impact on me the first time I heard it.

[Lord of the Helms]

:smallbiggrin: That was pretty awesome...as was the payoff, several episodes seasons later.


Fixed it, just to point out the significance of the overreaching storyline once more, for those reading who aren't familiar with the show yet.

And yes, that one is my favorite as well. C'mon, full length:
"I'd like to live just long enough to be around when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike, as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave, like this."

Pure awesome, especially when he waved goodbye once more right after it.

Well, and Delenn's most awesomest quote. "Only one human captain has survived battle with the Minbari. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else."

[thompur]

“Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair and all the terrible things that happen to us, come because we actually deserve them? So now I take comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the Universe”- Marcus Cole

This has become my philosophy!

[Sprainogre]

“Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair and all the terrible things that happen to us, come because we actually deserve them? So now I take comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the Universe”- Marcus Cole

This has become my philosophy!
I once recited that to some people I supervised when they were complaining about some random thing being unfair. They never complained about things being unfair again after that. At least not while I was around. :smallbiggrin:

[lin_fusan]

"Understanding is a three-edged sword." - Kosh

I think the quote is all the more awesome because Sheridan uses it in a big speech later on in the series!

[Jimorian]

Susan Ivanova: This is the White Star fleet. Negative on the surrender. We will not stand down.

Captain Thomson, Earthforce: Who is this? Identify yourself!

Ivanova: Who am I? I am Susan Ivanova. Commander. Daughter of Andrei and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance, and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart! I am Death Incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me.

:smallbiggrin:

[Angrist]

Delenn to captain Drake

"Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet, he is behind me. You are in front of me, If you value your life, BE SOMEWHERE ELSE!"