[HN Gopher] Babylon 5 Is a Perfect, Terrible Series
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Babylon 5 Is a Perfect, Terrible Series
Author : webmaven
Score : 47 points
Date : 2023-08-13 21:00 UTC (2 hours ago)
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(TXT) w3m dump (www.tor.com)
| consumer451 wrote:
| Oh, wow! I was just about to comment "I really want this series
| upscaled with some nice ML." Looks like WB did something along
| those lines in 2021.
|
| This is the only sci-fi series of note which I have not watched
| all the way through. The time has come. Thanks for the post OP.
|
| https://www.space.com/babylon-5-remastered-streaming-amazon-...
| pram wrote:
| I feel the same way about Lexx. It's awful, I'd never recommend
| it to anyone. But it's also always very weird and interesting and
| the setting is fascinating. It feels like anti-utopian sci-fi.
| Like sci-fi for misanthropes lol
| morkalork wrote:
| I'm utterly astounded that show was ever green lit, let alone
| had multiple seasons. The whole thing was like a fever dream.
| hyperion2010 wrote:
| I was playing Stellaris recently, and a few months later started
| a rewatch of Babylon 5. The inspiration is striking. B5, despite
| all its shortcomings, represents a vision of the timeless nature
| of politics that is in a way distinct from e.g. TNG. Furthermore
| the characters have a level of depth and complexity that force
| one to look in the mirror and ask hard questions about what it
| means to be a good person in the context of titanic forces the we
| could easily dismiss as being beyond our control.
| goldcd wrote:
| J Michael Straczynski autobiography "Becoming Superman" is
| definitely worth reading/listening to.
|
| Still hope he made some of it up though..
| dsr_ wrote:
| I selectively rewatched B5 this summer with one of my kids, who
| had never seen it before.
|
| It holds up very well, actually, once he got past the blocky CGI.
| The characterization is wonderful, the plotting ridiculously
| tight -- episodes that look like they are just Monster of the
| Week filler are not; a few episodes are clearly setting up
| something Big and then just barely get referenced.
|
| The growth in G'Kar and Vir is amazing; the relationship between
| G'Kar and Londo legendary.
| cassianoleal wrote:
| I did a full rewatch this year. Including some of the obscure
| feature films.
|
| The series is incredible. I agree with all your comments, but
| will also add that B5 is probably the best well told time
| travel story I've ever seen.
| throw0101b wrote:
| > _G 'Kar and Londo_
|
| Elevator scene:
|
| * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkwF5BBL26I
| jmclnx wrote:
| When it first aired, it was the only show us in the Computer Room
| ever talked about, before or since, it was amazing. I remember
| every one outside of the room talking about some crazy things
| people were doing. I finally asked one of them, "who did that ?".
| I was told it was on a show called Seinfeld, which most of us in
| the room never heard about :)
|
| I re-watched it last year, time for another spin with B5.
| hinkley wrote:
| I was always a bit confused about where Bruce disappeared to
| after Scarecrow and Mrs King. I came to the show late, everyone
| was telling me to watch it, but I mostly watched a few episodes
| as a nod to Bruce Boxleitner.
| badrabbit wrote:
| Stargate is the perfect space scifi series, even better than
| starwars, startrek and the expanse. The best part of it is it
| takes part in our time and universe. Unfortunately, not many have
| even heard of it.
|
| I also like how it is scientists today working with alien
| technology making spaceships and fighter planes.
| le-mark wrote:
| The thing I most enjoyed about the stargate franchise was how
| the alien tech tree was discovered over time. The series didn't
| plan for this (I don't believe) and in later seasons it all got
| kinda bizarre and wonky. I don't know of many other works of
| fiction that took this approach. I think Perry Rhodan series
| did (I only read a few installments) and the novel Battlefield
| Earth had this as an element.
| hinkley wrote:
| I fully hated Robert Carlyle's character in Stargate Universe,
| and still was sad that the show got cancelled so quick.
| jasonwatkinspdx wrote:
| Stargate is well known. There's Stargate memes all over reddit
| and imgur.
|
| Some of us simply don't like it. I find it too corny and
| superficial to watch personally. If you like it that's ok,
| we're allowed to like different things, but I think you may be
| overestimating how many people are in fact familiar with the
| show and do not regard it as anywhere close to the perfect sci
| fi show.
|
| That said, the original Stargate movie was an adolescent
| favorite of mine. I just find the show unwatchable.
| PrimeMcFly wrote:
| Of course people have heard of Stargate. It's one of the
| biggest sci-fi franchises there is, with 17 seasons and 3
| movies.
|
| It's one of my favorite series also, but it's hard to compare
| to something like B5 which is very different tonally.
| hinkley wrote:
| > 17 seasons
|
| That's not counting the spinoffs right?
| PrimeMcFly wrote:
| It is. SG1 was 10, Atlantis was 5 and Universe was 2.
| [deleted]
| driscoll42 wrote:
| For anyone that is on a rewatch and never read through them. The
| Lurker's Guide
| (http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html) for the
| show is a wonderful companion. The Fandom wiki doesn't have
| nearly the detail this site from when the show came out (and
| still getting updated) has. Wonderful behind the scenes quotes
| from AOL chatrooms, how episodes link to an the overarching plot,
| and other trivia
| gdubs wrote:
| Babylon 5 sat at a golden age of the Amiga/VideoToaster/Lightwave
| era of TV science fiction show. At the time it was very inspiring
| to see how visual effects companies were using non-SGI hardware
| to tell stories.
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