I recently started watching the TV show
Babylon 5 on DVD, after much poking and prodding for the last 2 years! I have to say that I really love it, maybe even more than Battlestar Galactica. It took me a little while to form an emotional connection to it, almost halfway through the first season, but once I did I couldn't get enough of it.
The absolute best thing about the series is that it has a wonderful and very complex story arch. It's kept up an intense pace full of change, with new characters every so often to keep things fresh. I'm almost through the 3rd season and it's been so exciting to see the way so many tiny details have come together to create this very rich storyline and universe of characters. Each plot twist and development builds on the previous season, explaining mysteries that were set up a year or two before and setting up new ones. It's almost as if every detail about each and every character and activity is used at a later date, building a vibrant and changing story. And the story has changed over the last three seasons, it has evolved tremendously. The very purpose of the station and the goals of the characters have changed, though I won't say anymore for risk of spoiling something. But most of all I appreciate the way the story is progressing logically. Battlestar Galactica has disappointed me because it's plot developments often make no sense and don't really further the story . However I continue to be really delighted by Babylon 5's plot.
The writing for the show is excellent, very much like an exciting novel has been revealed onscreen. The show covers a wide range of topics, like social control, economics, war, governmental corruption, social psychology, personal choice and spirituality. It is full of philosophy about life, existence, war, and hope in the face of darkness. Each major alien race is fully evolved, with it's own religion, social structure, government, appearance and personality. It's been very interesting to see them interact together, for better and for worse. And the future Earth has evolved too, for better or worse. The dialog is strong, funny, poignant and believable overall.
B5 is full of wonderful and unique characters of all kinds, from amusing to serious. The acting is top-notch and each character is brought to life in a way that is convincing. All of them do a really wonderful job. I love Delenn for her wisdom, integrity, compassion and strength. I like Susan Ivanova as a strong female presence in the command staff, plus she makes me laugh. I'm growing to love Vir Cotto for his budding independence and character. I have loved watching Jeffrey Sinclair's destiny be revealed, that was a superb bit of writing.
I have to admit that the computer graphics for the show aren't as good as today's viewer is used to, and that put me off for a little bit. After getting used to the beautiful world of Battlestar Galactica, B5 looked very basic. But B5 was made in the early 90's, and was actually on the cutting edge for it's time. The wonderful plot and characters more than make up for the visual appearance of the show, so don't let it prevent you from watching.
The only fan fic I have seen for the show is a House/Babylon 5 crossover called
Hand More Instrumental by aris_tgd. It's well written, she puts House and his team into the B5 medlab quite successfully. The only fan vid I have seen is
Not Ready To Make Nice by jedi_of_urth, abut Susan Ivanova. The song is a good one for her and the editing is ok, worth watching. It's puzzling that there are so few fan works for B5. A show of this caliber should have a strong following, but I haven't seen it. Perhaps some will pop up on the Archive of Our Own.
RD
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