Babylon 5 is one of the best science fiction shows ever made. It also kind of sucks, and that’s okay. “I hope the future will be like Star Trek, but I’m afraid it’s going to be like Babylon 5.” Thi…
“I hope the future will be like Star Trek, but I’m afraid it’s going to be like Babylon 5.”
One thing that made B5 so enjoyable for so many of us was The Lurker’s Guide — a website that broke down every episode into what came before, what happened, what it might mean, and included quotes and hints from JMS. We were such fans that I actually printed out the entire website - it’s in a binder with our DVDs.
As deep as the article is, it doesn’t address a few things behind some of the major issues: the first commander had to be replaced because the actor, Michael O’ Hare, was having severe mental/medical issues, kept private for years; the 5th season was a mess partially because the renewal came so late JMS had put some of the planned 5th season into the 4th season, meaning the telepath subplot had to be (unfortunately) expanded, and Claudia Christian had to be replaced because she had already accepted another gig.
But we are going to have to watch it again. So many amazing episodes. Mira Furlan is amazing. The music by Christopher Franke was fabulous (we own many of the soundtrack CDs). And yes, I STILL get teary-eyed listening to the music from the finale.
And the Lurkers Guide is still online! I’ve been doing the suggested chronological-without-spoilers first time watchthrough and have been reading the guide after every episode. You can tell a lot of the scripts were planned well in advance!
Lovely and honest article.
One thing that made B5 so enjoyable for so many of us was The Lurker’s Guide — a website that broke down every episode into what came before, what happened, what it might mean, and included quotes and hints from JMS. We were such fans that I actually printed out the entire website - it’s in a binder with our DVDs.
As deep as the article is, it doesn’t address a few things behind some of the major issues: the first commander had to be replaced because the actor, Michael O’ Hare, was having severe mental/medical issues, kept private for years; the 5th season was a mess partially because the renewal came so late JMS had put some of the planned 5th season into the 4th season, meaning the telepath subplot had to be (unfortunately) expanded, and Claudia Christian had to be replaced because she had already accepted another gig.
But we are going to have to watch it again. So many amazing episodes. Mira Furlan is amazing. The music by Christopher Franke was fabulous (we own many of the soundtrack CDs). And yes, I STILL get teary-eyed listening to the music from the finale.
And the Lurkers Guide is still online! I’ve been doing the suggested chronological-without-spoilers first time watchthrough and have been reading the guide after every episode. You can tell a lot of the scripts were planned well in advance!