I had heard of Babylon 5 while it was airing in the US, and I even watched half an episode while I was in US in 1997. However I chose to stop watching because I knew that this was a 5 year long complex story, planned even before it started filming, unlike Star Trek. So I decided that one day I would get all 5 seasons and watch them back to back.

Fast forward 9 years, I finally got to do just that. I not only watched all 5 seasons DVDs, I also watched all TV Movies and the Crusade spin-off. And I watched all this in exactly 2 months. How you might ask? Let’s just say that my newborn son “helped” by not letting me sleep at night, therefore giving me time to watch DVDs during the night. So this post will review all of this material (this will be a looong post), see you on the other side.

Introduction

As I said, Babylon 5 is a 5 year long story, that creator JMS outlined since the begining. This type of series had never been done before, so this series is very special. It is also the first series that used so much CGI. And it also won the Hugo Award for two years in a row. Again, not small feat. But let’s talk about the story season by season. Spoilers follow.

Pilot: The Gathering

This is mainly a whodunit story, that manages to introduce the main characters. We are presented with the Babylon 5 space station, its human crew, and its alien ambassdors. In particular we are introduced to Commander Sinclair, whose past is somehow tied to an other alien race. We learn about the different alien races: Narn, Centauri, Minbari, Vorlons. This last race is the most “alien” of them all, and we know nothing about them, not even what they look like. These are all mysteries that will be dealt with in the first two seasons. An interesting story, but not explosive. 2 Stars

Season One: Signs and Portents

This season starts slowly as expected. We need to get familiar with the characters, and some important information needs to be conveyed. Focus is on the missing hours in Sinclair’s past, which is somehow connected to the Minbari. Some of the cast from the pilot is changed, I think for the best. The highlight of the season is the Babylon 4 episode, an episode that will be mirrorred in season 3 two years later. I was a little bit surprised at how Sinclair just suddenly disappeared, without an actual explanation. A good start, with an intriguing mystery. However there were many stand alone episodes that were at best modest, even though they helped further the characterizations.  2.5 Stars
Season Two: The Coming Of Shadows

A change in the Captain position, as John Sheridan replaces Sinclair. I think this was a good change, this way Sinclair becomes more of a mysterious character, which fits perfectly into his future role in season 3. His storyline is also resolved, finally revealing what happened to him in the Minbari war. This is the first very satisfying mystery solved, but the next step for Sinclair is even more surprising. The Shadows are introduced, and there is no coming back, especially for Londo. The Narn-Centaury war starts. Delenn goes through changes. Talia is replaced by Lyta who comes back from the pilot (much better character/actress). All the pieces are in place, ready to explode. 4 Stars
Season Three: Point of No Return

And everything does explode in season 3. The civil war forces B5 to rescind itself from Earth government, and becomes an independent state. The confrontation with the Shadows starts with direct contact. And my favorite storyline: Sinclair goes back in time to steal Babylon 4!! He did it himself! And he risked to encounter his younger version, which we saw in season 1. Confused yet? A great time travel story. The Narn-Centaury war reaches its conclusion. And at the end of the season, Sheridan visits the Shadows home world. 4.5 Stars
Season Four: No Surrender, No Retreat

This was feared to be the last season, so JMS crammed the conclusion to many of the storylines in this season for fear that he woudn’t have a S5. So the Shadow War reaches a surprising conclusion between the Vorlons and the Shadows. Soon after the civil war is resolved as well. This is a jam packed season, full of tension and epic battles. And there are so many other storylines, like the Minbari civil war, Londo and G’Kar’s Nth change in their relationship, Marcus and Franklin’s underground fight in Mars, Garibaldi’s problem with Bester etc… Best season ever! And with a great finale, which shows us the whole history of humanity up to 1 million years in the future. 5 Stars

Season Five: Wheel of Fire

After so much happening in S4, what is left for S5? Plenty. The Drakh war, where Londo and G’Kar try to free Centaury Prime’s government, but they fail and Londo has to make his biggest sacrifice. The telepath war, with Byron and Lyta in the forefront against Bester and Psicorp. The building of the new Alliance, with Sheridan as president. Ivanova leaves the station (a shame), and Lochley becomes the new captain. And probably the best single episode of them all, the series finale. It tells the tale of Sheridan’s last day, and we see where each character ends up years in the future. Such a moving finale, and I am glad that Ivanova is back (it was filmed at the end of S4). Not as strong as S4, but still good. 4 Stars

TV Movies
In the Beginning

This is probably the best TV movie of B5. It tells the story of the Earth-Minbari war, from beginning to end. Some parts we’ve seen as flashbacks in the series, and this ties perfectly with them. It is nice to see how the various characters that we know from the series play important roles in this story. But this story is also enjoyable by itself, and could be a jumping on point for new viewers, although it completely spoils the first season’s mystery of Sinclair’s role in the war. 4 Stars
Thirdspace

This is a stand alone story that takes place in the middle of S4. I admit I wasn’t very interested by this story, and I even fell asleep in the middle of it. The only interesting thing is that it ties with the Vorlons past, but it doesn’t really say too much about them. 2 Stars
The River of Souls

This story is about Soul Hunters, which we’ve seen briefly in S1. It goes deeper into the Soul Hunter’s culture and history, which was very interesting for me. Unfortunately the story taking place in the present (after S5), was very weak. Martin Sheen’s performance was way over the top, which really turned me off. It was interesting seeing what some of the characters where doing after the end of the series, but overall this story did not deliver, even though it had good potential with the Soul Hunter’s history. 2 Stars
A Call to Arms

This movie sets up the sequel to B5, Crusade. It involves Sheridan and the Drakh, who attack earth in retaliation of the Shadows’ “defeat” by Sheridan. I realize I really like Sheridan’s character, because even though this story was important for the B5 universe, I just really enjoyed seeing Sheridan again after the series’ end. This is continued in the Crusade series, but alas without Sheridan. 3 Stars
The Legend of the Rangers

This was the pilot of a potential B5 spin off, but luckily it wasn’t made. The only B5 character here is G’Kar, and he is the main attraction for me. The other main characters are not as interesting, at least not in this story. And the fight room on board the ship looks really bad, with the woman kicking and punching… the air!! The mystery of this new race is intriguing, but the main characters were not satisfying. 2 Stars
Crusade

Crusade was a challenge to watch. After 5 great seasons with so many great characters, it was hard to keep watching the same universe but with completely different characters. JMS also had much difficulty with the studio, and many changes were made after only a few episodes (the uniforms for one). That being said there were many things that I enjoyed. The captain was definitely interesting, especially that box of his. Galen and the technomages have grown on me since their introduction in B5. All other secondary characters had their own personality as well. The plot was weak to me, just randomly going out and find the cure. It just didn’t work for me. The best episode was for me the one with Dr. Franklin, a real treat to see him again. I know the plot for the series was going to change 180 degrees, and I would have loved to see that. Unfortunately the series was cancelled before that. Great potential that didn’t have time to develop. 3 Stars

Conclusion

Babylon 5 is the greatest TV show achievement, not just in Sci-Fi. This show has it all: character development (We see the rise and fall of Londo, changiing from hilarious character only there to make jokes, to the most dramatic and sad character of them all. G’Kar on the other hand starts as a despicable villain and becomes a wise and profound religious figure.); intriguing mysteries (that always shock you when they are finally revealed); stories of political nature, or philosophical, or even romance and friendship. Anything that is part of the human existence is at one point or another dealt with in this series. This is a big commitment, and at first you might be tempted to quit (the first season is not the best), but if you stick with it and watch all 5 seasons you will be greatly rewarded. I can’t wait to watch it again in 9-10 years.

Rating: 5 Stars