Just started watching...

I can't link it but check out JMS's official twitter account guys. On 17/5/2018 he tweeted some very interesting stuff to Amazon about getting a higher quality version of B5 out there. Although I'm seeing on some other forums that people are questioning the technical accuracy of some of this statements.
 
Well I have managed to buy a second hand DVD boxset of B5, and aim to spend a few hours over this weekend getting my teeth into the first season.

I don't mind if its a slow-burner: in some respects ST:TNG did not really come alive until S3. So I will give B5 the benefit of the doubt given the universal high praise it has received, not only from this site but generally.
 
I'm watching Andromeda for the first time. I must confess that I am enjoying it, but it's a good indicator of how brilliant B5 was.

HanaBi, I'll be interested to read your feedback as you finish each series.

Maybe a rewatch is as one of my scifi goals for 2019.
 
The one I liked was Stargate: Universe, unfortunately the plug was pulled after only two series, it take place with everyone trapped onboard a giant alien spacecraft which can't be controlled but carries on a pre -programmed course!
Unlike the previous two, SG and SG: Atlantis, it was a lot darker and a bit more adult, the main character was a lot less heroic, he had flaws and at one point almost committed murder , and was in conflict with the also flawed main scientist!
I think this show could have gone far, no pun intended, but like Firefly and the brilliant Farscape it's life span was cut short by shortsighted executives, while other mediocre shows just go on and on!
 
I loved Farscape, and remains my favourite SF show of all. It was totally "out there" in all senses of the word and didn't always resort to safe ground and predictable plots often found in the Star Trek franchise.

On the subject of which, I really quite enjoyed B5 Season 1. Am only into the first 5 episodes and it really is slow to develop. But i expected this, and as such am patient enough to want to hang around until at least half-way through season 2.

The characters are certainly interesting enough, and I can see a lot of the writing is geared towards developing those characters over the life-time of the show. Of course this is okay in retrospect, but I guess back in the old days of watching these episodes at fixed times was probably a different kettle of fish completely.
 
Yes Farscape was brilliant, available as a big fat box set, sadly no subtitles!
I thought the film they made to finish it off was really good, up to the high standards of the show, and your right HanaBi, it really was out there, while Star Trek can be very good especially my favorite ST: DS9, they can sometimes get stuck in a bit of a rut!!
Babylon was good but to be honest the last series was a little weak in places, through not too bad!
Anyone who's interested I think Buffy The Vampire Slayer over ran by two series, the fifth series had a great villain "Glory", and a great ending, they should have left it there!
And don't get me started on "Red Dwarf"!
SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





And now for my final rant!!!!!!!
Does anyone think that Game Of Thrones John Snow getting brought back from the dead b***dy awful plotting, I really, really love this show ( haven't seen series six yet ), but having him resurrected like that after such a great death scene just rang so false compared to the rest of the show!
It's almost as if the author had painted himself into a corner, it nearly spoilt the whole thing for me!!!
 
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BigBadBob141 said:
Yes Farscape was brilliant, available as a big fat box set, sadly no subtitles!
I thought the film they made to finish it off was really good, up to the high standards of the show.
Babylon was good but to be honest the last series was a little weak in places, through not too bad!
Anyone who's interested I think Buffy The Vampire Slayer over ran be two series, the fifth series had a great villain "Glory", and a great ending, they should have left it there!
And don't get me started on "Red Dwarf"!
SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





And now for my final rant!!!!!!!
Does anyone think that Game Of Thrones John Snow getting brought back from the dead b***dy awful plotting, I really, really love this show ( haven't seen series six yet ), but having him resurrected like that after such a great death scene just rang so false compared to the rest of the show!
It's almost as if the author had painted himself into a corner, it nearly spoilt the whole thing for me!!!
Click to expand...

I used to be an avid viewer of GoT, but by S5 I just got a little bored of it and its never ending and convoluted plot lines. And the John Snow "death" was straight out of the Dallas "Bobby: shower" dream farce.

Sometimes quality exceeds quantity, and I think GoT should have called it a day at least two or three seasons ago.
 
A while ago Pick showed the whole Babylon 5 run. Was my first time watching it. Took me a while to get into it, but it's pretty damned fantastic, particularly a couple of seasons in.
 
Every good show has some pretty dud episodes along the way - my own particular favourites: Farscape, The Wire, The West Wing, Sopranos, Peaky Blinders etc. all had their fair share. But if you know the show has a good reputation with positive reviews it is certainly worth sticking with it.

And the good thing about the weaker episodes is that they always carry something that only becomes really significant, as you say, later in the season; or in the case of The Wire 2 or 3 seasons down the road.

It is just unfortunate that some of these slow-burner shows never get past their first or perhaps second season without being cancelled by an impatient studio - Firefly, being the most memorable!
 
Stick with it. I assure you it is worthy of trudging through what appear to be a few slow episodes in the first series.
 
I thought the "Soul Hunter" episode was really good. Went beyond the usual SF intellectual ruts.
 
There were a quite a few good episodes in the first series, I thought.
 
Yesterday I was sent the complete boxset as a gift, all five series, pilot episode, five films, and something called Crusade.
I have never watched any Babylon 5. I was going to start my own thread about it, but here will do instead.

I have read page one of this thread, I won’t read the rest in case of spoilers, but a huge sarcastic YAY for whoever puts spoilers in thread titles. I dunno who Londo is, but I already know *SPOILED* Thanks, genius.
 
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Harpo said:
Yesterday I was sent the complete boxset as a gift, all five series, pilot episode, five films, and something called Crusade.
I have never watched any Babylon 5. I was going to start my own thread about it, but here will do instead.

I have read page one of this thread, I won’t read the rest in case of spoilers, but a huge sarcastic YAY for whoever puts spoilers in thread titles. I dunno who Londo is, but I already know *SPOILED* Thanks, genius.
Click to expand...
That is less of a spoiler than you might think.
 
To be fair Harpo, you can't come to a Science Fiction forum having not seen a show that is 25 years old and not expect to find spoilers.
 
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