Some call Babylon 5 a great science fiction show, but it really isn't. It is, however, pretty good, for what it is, which is a modern televised saga.
A saga is defined as a long story of heroic achievement, and Babylon 5 slowly, luxuriously reveals that story over four seasons. It was envisioned as a science fiction show which could (and did) operate under a budget, which is historically quite rare. Normally, a science fiction TV show's budget increases year after year, as show-runners grow more ambitious and desire to top themselves. These shows grow so expensive that they cost more to make than the number of viewers can justify, and they get canceled. It has happened over and over again, before Babylon 5 came along and since.
Babylon 5 had a very tightly controlled budget, and it shows. The special effects are, well, not very special at all. Much of the initial outlay for the show involved the costumes and sets, which were reused over the course of the five seasons it ran. The stories and characters were, from the start, intended to be that which kept the viewers coming back... and it worked! Babylon 5 was never a huge hit, but it was successful enough to continue long enough to finish the saga, and even offer a season beyond it.
The characters grew and changed over the course of the saga. New characters came and went, good and evil, human and alien. Most of the stories presented were more or less filler, unnecessary to the larger saga, which meant that when nuggets of storyline that advanced the saga came along, they were enthralling.
Some will tell you that you can safely skip some, if not many, of the episodes of Babylon 5 (especially in the early going). I think that's a mistake, because it is the nature of a saga that it carries you to a distant place and keeps you there for a long, long time. Sometimes you'd prefer not to be in that faraway place for such a long time, but it's necessary for you to feel the impact. The culmination of the saga, which occurs near the end of season four, is much more rewarding if you've spent the entire time absorbing the universe of Babylon 5. If you eat the vegetables as well as the entree, you'll be better fed... or something like that.
Is it great? No. But it's pretty darn good, and space opera is a rare thing anyway. Savor this, luxuriate in it, and let it sometimes be boring. In the end you will find you love the characters and the saga more than the vehicle which brought them to you... as it should be.
A saga is defined as a long story of heroic achievement, and Babylon 5 slowly, luxuriously reveals that story over four seasons. It was envisioned as a science fiction show which could (and did) operate under a budget, which is historically quite rare. Normally, a science fiction TV show's budget increases year after year, as show-runners grow more ambitious and desire to top themselves. These shows grow so expensive that they cost more to make than the number of viewers can justify, and they get canceled. It has happened over and over again, before Babylon 5 came along and since.
Babylon 5 had a very tightly controlled budget, and it shows. The special effects are, well, not very special at all. Much of the initial outlay for the show involved the costumes and sets, which were reused over the course of the five seasons it ran. The stories and characters were, from the start, intended to be that which kept the viewers coming back... and it worked! Babylon 5 was never a huge hit, but it was successful enough to continue long enough to finish the saga, and even offer a season beyond it.
The characters grew and changed over the course of the saga. New characters came and went, good and evil, human and alien. Most of the stories presented were more or less filler, unnecessary to the larger saga, which meant that when nuggets of storyline that advanced the saga came along, they were enthralling.
Some will tell you that you can safely skip some, if not many, of the episodes of Babylon 5 (especially in the early going). I think that's a mistake, because it is the nature of a saga that it carries you to a distant place and keeps you there for a long, long time. Sometimes you'd prefer not to be in that faraway place for such a long time, but it's necessary for you to feel the impact. The culmination of the saga, which occurs near the end of season four, is much more rewarding if you've spent the entire time absorbing the universe of Babylon 5. If you eat the vegetables as well as the entree, you'll be better fed... or something like that.
Is it great? No. But it's pretty darn good, and space opera is a rare thing anyway. Savor this, luxuriate in it, and let it sometimes be boring. In the end you will find you love the characters and the saga more than the vehicle which brought them to you... as it should be.