Okay, so you all know that I’ve been trying to get Wendy and Kevin to watch Babylon 5 (one of my all time favorite genre shows). Â It seems that they don’t have a lot of time to watch a show with as many episodes as B5 (WHAT?!). Â Anyway, I mentioned to Wendy that she could probably just start with season two. Â She then asked me if there were some things she should know from season one. Â Well, I suggested a video summarizing the season. Â This is the result.
Okay, Wendy and Kevin… Â now you have no excuse not to watch this classic genre show!
Excellent synopsis Brent! Now if you can do Season 2 of TWIN PEAKS we’ll be all set.
Wade From Florida
An excellent summary of the first season. I watched the show each day on TNT and I had no problems with the first season (people say it can be slow).
I do agree that the 2nd season is when they find another gear building from the stories from the first.
Thanks for this, Brent.
Babylon 5 is my #1 all-time favorite show, sci-fi or otherwise, but primarily because of the middle three seasons (plus the end of season 5). Season 1 isn’t as easy to endure. It’s got some redeeming quality and is a necessary evil to setting up the series, but the computer graphics, writing, acting, costumes, hair, make-up, and even the lighting are all sub-par to the other four seasons. Anyone who finds it off-putting, just needs to trust that the show makes a great leap in overall quality in season 2.
This is a great summary of season 1, Brent, especially for those who may want or need to skip it.
For those that want to skim through season 1 but not skip it altogether, it might still be a good idea to watch the following key episodes for the sake of better understanding the B5 universe & overall story arc:
– Mind War
– And the Sky Full of Stars
– Signs and Portents
– A Voice in the Wilderness – Parts 1 & 2
– Babylon Squared
– Chrysalis
Oddly, despite the importance of these episodes, they’re not all my favorites (especially Voice in the Wilderness which JMS, the show’s creator, wrote sick with a high fever and doesn’t remember writing). On a personal level, I’m very partial to Deathwalker & The Quality of Mercy.
Most people will probably tell you to skip TKO and Grail (JMS included), but Grail’s concept has some redeeming quality even if the execution is poor, and there’s a great Ivanova subplot in TKO well worth seeing even if you fast-forward through the A-plot. Soul Hunter and Believers are two of my *least* favorite episodes of the whole series. If you want to know what a Soul Hunter is, skip the episode and just read an episode summary online.
I put together a cherry picked list for someone new to the show a few years ago, it was quite surprising how easy it was but this summary of the first season is masterful both in what it tells you and presentation,
Seriously impressed:)
I was talking about B5 last night, I’ve been trying to convince a friend of mine that it’s the type of story he’d enjoy but he’s struggled with the first few episodes of season 1 – I’ll point him at the video and suggest he watch the last couple of season 1 episodes and dive straight intp season 2.
Since this video was originally posted three years ago and I made my first comment about it the day after, I’ve had a chance to re-watch season 1 at least once (and attend the Babylon 5 20th anniversary celebration at Phoenix Comicon this past weekend).
I still say that the video is well made & very informative and that my original list of key s1 episodes & personal favorites stand. But, I also believe that season 1 is better than most people give it credit for. I would hope that most people give it a chance and that if anyone absolutely must skip some or all season 1 episodes to get into the show in the first place that they eventually go back and catch up on season 1 once they’re hooked.
At Phoenix Comicon this past weekend (23-26 May 2013), the thing that surprised me and some other older fans was the number of younger fans who are now discovering & loving the show. I’m talking about fans who are pre-teen to college age — kids who are used to modern computer graphics & special effects and more shows being arc-driven nowadays. They love the show as much as us B5 veterans do and don’t seem to mind the slight drawbacks of season 1.
So, after this weekend, I think I’m less inclined to be an apologist for season 1 (will see soon about season 5 with the TIST s5 re-watch coming soon). True, B5’s middle three seasons are the best. But, taking all five seasons into consideration, I still consider it the best show ever on TV.
[…] whole of season one for some reason (maybe you saw it a while back), then Tuning In To SciFi has an excellent five-minute video summary of the […]