User reviews

Bored by today's generic, soul- and lifeless mass productions I check out some of those gems of long gone times. Babylon 5 beats every show today marketed under the label of sci-fi easy: likable and interesting characters, suspenseful storylines and good old action and fine fx work make Babylon 5 a lighthouse shining amidst the ocean of mediocrity and worse. Top and gets better with every decade of the decline of the entertainment industry.

It's a shame I couldn't get this one from the begginig. This is THE Sci-Fi show (if you don't count The X Files as Sci-Fi). It is way better than Star Trek: it didn't have the technological chit chat; human race was weak and corrompted, yet optimistic and full of potential; realistic to the bone, in 200 and so years that could be our world; an evolving story and characters that made you believe they were real; not as many races as in ST (actually it is better this way) but that differenced each other in something else than the ears; a philosophical, political, chaotic universe. Great acting and writing, many but many characters that carried on a story that was about nothing else than life and death.

Well, what to say? For starters, I'm a die-hard Classic Star Trek fan, who had until recently been aware of B5 without ever having seen it. Then, about four months ago, my best friend lent me his B5 DVDs of season 1. And I have to admit, I'm impressed.

To be fair, it took a little while - I was a little wary at first, but it quickly grew on me. Once I got a feel for what was going on, and how the characters worked, yes. It grabbed me. I especially liked Jeffrey Sinclair as a leader-type - someone more thoughtful than your bog-standard action-hero.

Then, after a long wait, my friend lent me seasons 2-4. Again, I was a little wary at first; it had been a while since I'd seen season 1, and I knew that Sinclair had been replaced by John Sheridan. Out of the two leaders, I prefer Sinclair, and for the first few episodes of season 2, I was unconvinced. Then, about a third of the way in, the pace quickened up - considerably. And while I still prefer Sinclair as a leader, by about episode 8 of season 2, I found that I didn't have the time to miss him, things were moving that quickly, there were so many plots unravelling . . .

And therein lies the hook. The amount of detail is extraordinary, the way all the characters and plots became intertwined is amazing. The series is so intense - I was watching up to eight or nine episodes a day, for a week solid! And might I say again, I was a Star Trek fan who had never seen B5 before in my life! As many people before me have said, this show isn't a nice neat everything-gets-resolved-in-the-space-of-one-episode type. Details get carried over. There are long story-arcs. There are things happening all the time. Everything has a reason. You see an insignificant detail in season 1, suddenly it is explained in season 3 as being very relevant for reasons you didn't even know about back in the first season.

If there is one stumbling block for B5, I would have to say that some of the computer-generated images (CGI) are not always up to standard. This is especially true of planet surfaces, in particular Mars. But that's quibbling. The key to good science-fiction is believability. The characters have to act as if the basic premise of the series is perfectly normal to them. That's what makes it work. That's why in the original series of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry made a point of not explaining the workings of anything. For example, Captain Kirk picks up a phaser and fires it without stopping to explain what it was or what it did - after all, in a contemporary series, nobody goes out of their way to say how a gun. We know how it works - so by watching Kirk fire his phaser, we understand implicitly that it is a weapon. The same principle applies in B5 - although to a lesser degree.

Moving on to the acting - this show was blessed with some wonderful people. In particular, Mira Furlan as Delenn is worth watching; she is possessed of a presence and an aura most actors can only dream of. She is one of those people that when she is speaking, becomes the absolute centre of attention without really trying. Also, as stated above, I am a fan of Cmdr Sinclair - and I think Michael O'Hare's portrayal of him is wonderfully underplayed. It would have been so easy just to play him as an action-hero, but no. I really do miss that character. Another favourite would have to be Stephen Furst as Vir - DS9 fans just think Rom, and you're halfway there. Not to mention the "odd couple" of Peter Jurasik (Londo) and Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar) - wonderful.

Actually, that's another point - the aliens. The aliens in B5 are more real than the aliens in Star Trek. Their agendas are much better fleshed out. We understand the whys and wherefores much more than the stereotypes of so many Star Trek races (and remember I'm a longterm Star Trek fan). To use Trek parallels, the Minbari are like the Vulcans and Bajorans combined in temperament, the Centauri are probably most comparable to the Cardassians, and the Narns, well, I'd say Klingons, but that's selling them short. Klingon-Bajoran, perhaps. Any hardcore B5 fans offended by those descriptions - sorry, I'm just using them as guidelines to the uninitiated Trek fans. These B5 races are much more real, less stereotyped. (Although the less said about the Drazi, the better!) To summarise, then - I think this is the best sci-fi since Original Star Trek. Watch this show! Star Trek fans will not be disappointed!

Babylon 5 is in my opinion a classic syfi show that ended too soon, with 5 great seasons, and spawning several films and a spin off show. Babylon 5 offers a great way to escape into a wonderful exciting story, the universe of endless potential. A true 90's show, with a great cast, and the effects for the time it was made were amazing. I grew up on this show as a kid and was obsessed, the war with the shadows was thrilling when I was young, and still wish I could have more episodes to this day.

One of the few examples of what television CAN be.

While I could offer many accolades for this series, I will reduce it to the statement that we have never seen better or more intelligent writing on television. Period.

I'm lost lost in blind fandom. Rather, I've come to loathe the lack of intelligence used in most television programs today (largely because of the networks' catering to the lowest common denominator). This is one of the few exceptions.

It is a true shame we cannot see intelligent writing like this elsewhere in this age of miraculous special effects.

1. The story It is probably the biggest, most complex story that was put on film so far - well over 60 hours of good TV. This had been tried never before and makes shows like Lost or Battlestar Galactica successful today.

2. It is non boring Besides elements of Season 4 being built up as early as Season 1, even in small details, the storyline has a lot of interesting twists, that makes you yearn for more and stay interested even over the course of five years. But nowadays you don't have to. You can get the box set and have yourself been swallowed up in a matter of weeks.

3. The casting Casting was done very thoroughly, obviously; as every character had been designed in detail long time before casting, including all changes and developments, actors could be found that filled these roles perfectly. And they were. For example, Richard Biggs was the most ethic and believable TV doctor I have ever seen.

4. The acting The characters Londo Mollari and G'Kar seem to be the most popular, they are also filled by outstanding actors, but all the others, including guest roles were no less than great. Stephen Furst is a brilliant comedian and Bruce Boxleitner is just a joy to watch, he is so 100% in every scene.

5. The music Only two words: Christopher Franke. The score of B5 has the magnitude and the quality of a movie score and adds to the scope of the show greatly. Look out for a Special on Season 4 Box set called "No Surrender, No Retreat Suite". First watch Season 4. Then listen to the suite WITHOUT the pictures. And at last, enjoy the music with the pictures. You will conclude that the music itself captures all emotions of Season 4, the combination with the pictures just makes it a masterpiece.

6. The special effects Babylon 5 was a "poor show" as JMS put it. They had nowhere near the budget of a Star Trek series. But still its scope was intended to be big, with space battles unseen on TV to this point. Although most of the ground shots did not work, as a lot of virtual sets, the space scenes reached a remarkable level of perfection by the end of the series, and the battles were big indeed, with very interesting angles and camera movements only doable by cgi. Another aspect that B5 pioneered in.

7. The character development SciFi is not stupid. It is not about blowing up spaceships with laser guns either. Well, sometimes it is. But not B5. It is a character driven show with most interesting development to each character. They all developed, but still were truthful to themselves. Time is taken to explore each single character in detail and entertaining it is.

8. The humor There was Stephen Furst of course, who literally can turn any line into an enjoyable piece of comedy, but there were other actors with great comedic skills as well, Claudia Christian, Bruce Boxleitner, Patricia Tallman, Peter Jurasik to name a few. Although the story line was very exciting, the element of humor was never forgotten; this made Star Trek TOS successful and it definitely did not hurt B5.

9. The philosophy J. Michael Straczynski has said that his intention was never to make a moral or philosophical statement, but just to tell a story. But as the story involves a lot of these elements, at least it makes you think. And, although being a declared atheist, JMS handles things like religion or prophesy extremely respectfully and he gave the best summary of the essence of Christianity in the episode "Passing Through Getsemane" I have ever heard, equally brilliantly delivered by Oscar Nominee Brad Dourif.

10. The harmony of the complete work of art I believe that there are three classic types of art: Picture - painting, its 3D-representation sculpture and photography Music Literature, written and its physical representation acting.

Film puts all of them together, makes the pictures move and includes many more like effects, stage and crop design, costume design, camera, editing and makeup. I consider film the most complete work of art because it HAS to be the team work of a number of distinct artists. If each and every one of them is great, then the whole is great. And I think B5 is just that, besides or maybe because of the extremely tight budget they had. For example, when B5 went to TNT for Season 5 the actors suffered serious cutbacks in salary. Bruce Boxleitner no doubt had plenty of offers in his drawers, but nonetheless he stayed and finished the work. So did almost all the others, and I think You can tell this kind of attitude in the show.

I just finished watched the 1st year on DVD. What a treat to see this series again, in a version mastered properly for the widescreen with surround sound to boot. I remember enough from the series to know that the 1st season was both unique and uneven in more ways than the other 4 years, and yet it lets out all the plot threads that play out over the ensuing years. I, for one, liked M. O'hare and it was too bad he couldn't have had a recurring role in subsequent seasons. Even so, this is a great series, possibly the best ever Sci Fi TV series that I've ever seen. Great CGI work that was employed for the 1st time ever, multiple engaging plots, good acting, writing, etc... it goes on and on. My only regret is that no one's figured out a good way to resurrect the B5 fictional world. I'd love to see another good series like this. If you haven't seen it lately, watch it again to remember how good it was. If you've never seen it then you don't know what you're missing.

This series was unique.. and still is. The ONLY television series written like a novel with a beginning a middle and an END. Planned with a 5 year story arc right from the beginning. I watched every episode live when it came out and haven't watched it for almost 15 years now, but I STILL remember it. You won't be disappointed. It is NOT one of those series that ropes you in.. and never ends..like they seem to like doing these days...leaving story lines unresolved.. until the show gets canceled. If you watch Babylon 5, when you're done you will have that same feeling you get when you turn the last page of the last chapter of a fantastically written novel.. that feeling you get when you close the book and think.. aahh.. now THAT's how things should be done! That's B5.

I am a life long SciFi fanatic. Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate and more, I've watched them since the first airing. And while Star Trek and Star Wars and even the longevity of Stargate and it's spinoffs have there respective, iconic, places in SciFi history, Babylon 5 stands out from them all. Having just re-watched the the entire series, in order, and in binges, the ending still brings a tear to my eye. The 5 year arch, the writing, the acting, it all, in my humble opinion rises up as one of the best, true Science Fiction Series ever created. Even now, late August of 2021, 23 years since it's last episode aired, the year of struggles in politics, and the pandemic, this series and it's stories still ring true today. Fascinating how these stories parallel our struggles today. Showing what happens when small groups gain too much power. How so much can be manipulated by so few who press their personal agendas over the greater good. How people will so easily follow blindly into the abyss as to avoid personal responsibility and how the mass media propaganda machine can control it all.

Of course, the age of this series should be taken into account when reviewing, it is definitely incomparable with today's works when we look at how it is all done visually.

Even if you take into account the age of the series, it's still visually not the best done, very sharp and raw graphics like from old low-budget games, although you get used to those graphics, it just takes a little time. What is extremely bad everywhere is the sound, so I don't remember when I saw such a poorly done sound in tv series, the melodies are not synchronized with the ambience, the background music in most cases overpowers the ambience, it would be best without those tones that destriy overall impression.

But again, despite everything, the series somehow gets under your skin and you keep watching, oh those classics.....

The pinnacle of sci fi just gets better with time, like a fine wine. This show really is quite special. The characters, over arching story, twists and turns are as good today in 2025 as they were in the early 90s. In fact some of the plot narratives have come to pass since the original airtime. Very much ahead of its time.

Having watched most sci-fi shows from the last 45 years, this the greatest. If you enjoy sci-fi and haven't seen this, watch it. Try to get hold of the remastered version as it definitely adds to the experience.

It saddens me to know that they just don't make them like this anymore. Babylon 5 - the gold standard.

After tons of recommendations from friends about this show, I decided to rent the DVD's and give it a watch. It took some time and I almost didn't see it thru because of the cheesy 90's special effects, but somewhere along the way I started to see what others love so much about it.

Babylon 5 is one of those rare finds. An adult oriented mix of futuristic warfare, social commentary, and spirituality that tells the epic story of the future of mankind. Unlike many other sci-fi shows that hit the reset button at the end of every episode and take the characters back to where they began, B5 develops the characters with purpose in every episode, slowly unveiling their destiny to the viewers. Even in the weaker episodes, and there are a few, there is almost always some significant character development going on.

B5 struggled to survive in it's tiny niche, and by watching the DVD extras it's clear that the cast and staff took great pride in that. Still, ultimately it might have been good for the show that they existed in a small venue, because I doubt that this kind of long term vision would have survived in a larger market. As it stands, watching B5 is a bit like reading a decent novel in the scope and reach of the story being told.

For those interested in the bottom line, B5 is a tremendous, epic story that explores the conflict between the need for order and the desire for self determination. Character development happens in nearly every episode, but many of the one episode story arcs are utterly forgettable. Most of the special effects look poor by modern standards, but that's to be expected. Straczynski's introduction of many spiritual elements was well ahead of its time in popular media, and would not be seen again for nearly 10 years until Battlestar Galactica, although his touch is a bit more heavy handed than BSG. It may be a matter of taste, but I prefer the subtle touch of the almighty in BSG to the overt mysticism Starczynski offers. The 5 season arc is very well done, but chafes a bit with the season 4 to 5 transition due to the fact that the show's producers thought they were getting canceled at the end of 4 and hurried along a few plots too quickly.

In the catalog of sci-fi, Babylon 5 stands nearly alone as a series that explored the future of humanity in an intelligent and meaningful fashion and survived long enough to complete its story. If you are a fan of sci-fi, this show is for you.

I do not understand the high praise Babylon 5 receives. I just finished DS9 and I will contrast the two since they have similar basic plots with a bunch of different alien species living on a space station. I expected this to be a superior product but nine episodes in, this is the most disappointing show for me in a long time.

Everything is so heavy-handed and it's got corny comic book villains that are easy to pick out five minutes into the episode. But the real heavy-handedness comes from the dear captain himself. His voice takes on a particular inflection as he lectures the bad guy, alien, robot, or whatever (and the audience) about their bad behavior and the moral course which a good humanist should follow.

DS9 surprised me with its nuance at times despite Captain Ben getting on his pedistool occasionally. But those moments weren't too distracting, and regardless there were wonderful memorable characters like Dukat, Garak, Rom, and Nog that Straczynski couldn't dream of creating.

I don't know, maybe this show appeals more to Star Wars and/or Marvel fans than hard-core sci-fi fans. As for me, I will take TNG, DS9, SG-1, SG-Atlantis, and BSG any day over this cheese fest.

Ertain inflection.

WOW is the word which best describes this program! It is an epic story of legends in a world that is believable interpretation of the future two and a half centuries from now. It is set in a world where humans are now a space faring race, capable of crossing the galaxy in months using a technology called a Jumpgate. The people of Earth have at this point come together in corporation to form a world government known as EarthGov. The humans aren't alone; they occupy the universe with mysterious races like the Vorlons, Shadows, and Minbarie. The leading heroes, Jeffery Sinclair and John Sheridan are captains in EarthForce, but they soon prove to be much more. I dare not enter into the plot since it is redundant on account of it being available at this site and elsewhere. All I will say about the plot is that over its five years, it is an extremely wealthy arc of sadness, joy, comedy, and horror! It is also not without substance, full of philosophy about life, existence, war, and hope. Each episode represents a coherent story, but incomplete since each builds upon the rest. The series is essentially an extended mini-series. Like Star Trek before it, most if not all episodes are constructed with a moral or lesson attached to it. Each episode also addresses some aspect of real human experience. The quest for power, revenge, love, and corporate power to mention a few. I believe that the episodes "Z'HA'DUM", "War Without End 1 & 2", "Whatever Happened To Mr. Garibaldi?", and "Endgame" are some of the best of the series. It is also the only television series that I am aware of that was made better than most Hollywood movies! Watch it, or I will get you.

Although I know that the Trekkies out there and lovers of SG-1 will no doubt blow a gasket, I consider this the best sci-fi series ever. And I DO like these other shows (even the ever so mediocre Deep Space 9). My love for the show is based on it having the creative genius of J. Michael Straczynski creating and controlling the series. Unlike other shows, he was a single mastermind who envisioned a series with a greater sense of purpose and plot than others (and wrote almost all the episodes). His plots did not last a few episodes or even a single season, but persisted throughout. And, because of this, his characters were able to grow and evolve unlike any others in the history of sci-fi. It was ingenious how G'Kar and Molari, for example, changed throughout the series. It was also genius to have humans be both the BEST and WORST characters in the show--from the evil Bester (played by EVIL CHEKOV from the "Mirror Mirror" episode of Star Trek) to the strong and competent Commanders Sinclair and Sheridan.

I will warn you, though, that the first season starts slowly, as it takes a while for all the characters to be introduced and for all the man, many plots and schemes to start coming together. In fact, in season one, there are even a few poor episodes that show that the series hadn't yet gotten its legs. My advice is HOLD ON AND KEEP WATCHING--later the true brilliance of the intricate plot become very apparent. Seasons two, three and four are amazing, though unfortunately season five is also a bit of a dud because the show was originally scheduled to end after four and the fifth season was sort of slapped together--and it looks it.

If you disagree with me, I challenge you to watch every episode from start to finish and then tell me I am wrong. I guess I am a true GEEK, as I have seen them all as they originally aired and no other series (except NOWHERE MAN, STARGATE SG-1 and THE PRISONER) ever got me to commit myself to seeing every episode.

I don't know where to start actually, it can be phrased in just one sentence. Babylon 5 is even after 20 years of its first appearance the absolute best a Sci-fi series can offer to a viewer. i started watching the series in 1994 i believe and it never catched me but there was one reason why it was that way. im from Germany and the synchronisation of the dialogs where not only been flawed in many ways it took away the soul of each character and left the viewer with a sorry excuse of a translation of events and feelings. i started watching the series from scratch in 2000 and in the mothertongue ( englisch ) and its a difference of night and day. i learned my englisch thanks to this series. i just made an account because i feel that babylon 5 doesn't get enough credit for what this series really is. Its a magnificent story telling of events / Masterclass Actors and producers. I don't even know where to begin of praising this fantastic and absolute top notch Sci-fi series. In my humble opinion there is nothing in the last 20 years that can even consider themselves to be on the same level as Babylon 5.

I can only urge everyone who haven't seen this fastastic top notch series to just give it a try in englisch. Its a journey where you get pulled into and you surely don't want to come out again.

I can only give this series a defnetly 10 out of 10... hell no i'd give it an fkn 20. By far my favorite series ever created in a Sci-fi environment. Even the Special effects seems now in 2014/15 a littly rusty just imagine this series was created with limited resources and not much budget in 1994 ! And now after 20 years i say Thank you with all my heart to all people who were there to created this absolute stunning masterpiece.

Thanks a lot. Veit / Berlin 9.12.2014

A 5 year story arc with lots to discover, even after you watch it a few times.

There is great character development, great story telling, strong women, strong men, diversity Wich is in fashion atm and not forced onto us.

Great music!

Even after all these years i still think a lot can be learned from this series.

It's anti war, anti extremists but not always that obvious.

"Babylon 5" was a show I heard off but did not pay any attention to since it reminded me too much of "Star Trek:Deep Space Nine". Mind you it was only the title that bothered me and never actually had seen the show.Then a friend introduced me to it. I started watching the second series of Babylon 5 and was hooked. This show had it all. A good story,great action especially the space battles but more important wonderful characters and story. Bruce Boxleitner as Sheridan,Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar,Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari. The different characters living at Babylon 5 all had some agenda for being there. Gradually we would find out what that was and how it would play out for them. Like in a real world these characters were complex. In one episode someone could be seen as an aggressor and in a later episode the same character could also been seen as a victim. To not be clear cut as say characters from the "Star Trek" universe was very refreshing and very interesting to see. What also was a new approach that this show wasn't about discovering new worlds,new aliens or their technology. It was more about basic things like politics and trade where the aliens did have a significant role. If you look closely at the alien characters you can see that they are used as symbols representing ideas and culture that you can find on earth. Take the Centauri for instance. It is obvious that their culture is based on ancient Rome. And it was nice to see that these alien characters were not so different from humans in their emotions. Characters like G'Kar and Londo were just as likable as the human characters. They were not just put in for show or eye candy.So there is much more to the whole alien aspect. Never before had I seen something like this. Each episode got more complicated and thrilling by the minute. Almost every episode ended with a twist for things getting worse. This was before shows like "24" and "Lost". So just imagine the impact it had on me. i must admit that the first season of "Babylon 5" is difficult to watch at times because the story (at first sight) doesn't seem very interesting compared to later seasons. But I have come to realize that you will appreciate this season better if you have seen all the seasons. It all will make sense since all seasons are connected somehow. "Babylon's 5 structure is set up in such a way that it will make your mind boggle. With knowledge of season 2,3,4 and 5 re watching the first season is much more fun. One example: Commander Jeffrey Sinclair will not be perceived as a dull character anymore (because we will find out in later seasons) that he is involved in matters of epic proportions. This first season is full of hints of matters that are of importance in later seasons. This gives the show more depth and meaning. There are not many SF shows that have managed to do this. Just amazing! "Babylon 5" is an epic show full of drama,humor,action,eye candy and thrills that has given me one of the best experiences in my life. And this is no exaggeration. It's the truth!

This is a very well written series, much better than any sci-fi series on tv ever. Except for few warts (for god knows what reason, but certainly not due to lack of talent), the multiple story-lines it pursues are consistent and all develops well.

The way of politics and power relations leave wanting, but then Americans does not really understand politics, even so called political scientists cannot articulate how it works, so had little expectations on this front.

And, it was a shame that the series ended with 5 seasons. There were material for at least two more seasons.

Finally, and a very annoying part of it, the acting sucks most of the time. Except for mollari, g'kar, bester, and perhaps ivanova all the actors in major roles really really suck. And, oh the computer screens, medical equipment, etc. Look like plastic toys; so you need to overlook these obvious defects and think of this as a novel on screen to really enjoy the series.

Best TV show ever made, I used to watch it as a child on TV and was mesmerized, how ever back then I missed some episodes and as such didn't always know what is going on since all the episodes are connected. So a few weeks back I thought to myself. Is this show really as good as I remembered it to be? So I bought the whole thing on DVD (remastered Widescreen edition) and was very surprised that it is in fact MUCH better than I remembered, many of the subtleties of the character and story development I could only sense as a child but not fully comprehend. And watching it again I was amazed at the depth of this great story and how you could relate to many of the situations occurring here and the terrible suspense of the story how it caught you and made you feel and bleed for the heroes. And the whole ambitious yet humble scope of this epic tale. Nothing to say of the great score of the series how the intro and credits music always perfectly captured the mood of the whole season. I can only highly recommend this great series. And as for the visuals, one gets used to them quickly and they are satisfying despite their age and the giant leap in technology. If you like a great story and characters with depth which you can feel for WATCH IT and ENJOY!!!

I'm a long-time science fiction fan who values quality writing, quality acting and originality above and beyond "special effects". Though the Amiga CGI was relatively smooth for its time, and the budget was enormous, B5 falls short.

Watching B5 was difficult and I found myself cringing at just about every turn because of unconvincing script writing and hokey/corny acting. You would think with the astronomical budget, B5 producers could have hired better script writers and paid for acting lessons for the cast...but no.

The acting seems very forced and pretentious, unlike many (not all) of the Star Trek franchise actors and Galactica actors. The depth and complexity of characters and acting capability I would expect from such a high-budget series is missing from B5...woefully inadequate.

Additionally, the gaffers and cameramen seem like they just graduated from 2-year film school. The panning, cutting, framing, focus, and shot timing is very low quality.

Again, the acting is B-level, schlock, and laughable. I get embarrassed watching their pathetic attempts to be convincing in their portrayals.

Overall, B5 is a great idea - and I love watching science fiction - so, I haven't given up on watching it, and I purchased the DVDs. It's not that bad - it's just offensive for those of us who love Shakespearean methodologies.

If you appreciate compelling character development, natural (not forced) dialog, and cutting-edge actors employing classic methodologies, then B5 is not for you. Otherwise, if you're easily entertained, then you'll love B5. Those who appreciate the "Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo" laser blasts, "Ka- BLAMM-O" space explosions, and latex-rubber slimy-head aliens will like B5.

The "Firefly" series by Joss Whedon, and the follow-up movie "Serenity" is in my opinion, the best science fiction television has produced in decades.