Science Fiction @lemmy.world PlanetOfOrd @lemmy.world 12 mo. ago

Should I Give Babylon 5 Another Chance?

As a Sci-Fi fan I've been a huge fan of shows like Battlestar Galactica, The Expanse, Terminator: TSCC, Star Trek, etc. I keep hearing Babylon 5 is awesome.

I was too young at the time to watch the series when it was on. But then as an older teen/ young adult I decided to give it a try. Everything was so cringe it was hard to get through 3 episodes. IMO the whole vibe was "safe..." maybe even a bit corny--not the intense, exciting, politically-tense space opera that I was told it was.

So maybe the beginning episodes are just world-building? What do other people think?

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Look up a "necessary episodes only" watch list.

Babylon 5 is excellent... eventually. Most of season 1 is supremely skippable, and much of it absolutely should be skipped. Season 2 gets a lot better, and by season 3 you'll be watching every episode.
- This was the list I found. I will give it a chance too.
  
  Story Arc essential ones
  
  Midnight on the Firing Line Soul Hunter And the Sky Full of Stars Survivors Signs and Portents A Voice in the Wilderness Babylon Squared The Quality of Mercy Chrysalis
  
  I managed to dig up the list I used when I was rewatching it with my wife.
  
  1.01 Midnight on The Firing Line
  
  1.06 Mind War
  
  1.08 And The Sky Full of Stars
  
  1.13 Signs And Portents
  
  1.18 A Voice In The Wilderness (1)
  
  1.19 A Voice In The Wilderness (2)
  
  1.20 Babylon Squared
  
  1.22 Chrysalis
  
  2.01 Points of Departure
  
  2.02 Revelations
  
  2.08 A Race Through Dark Places
  
  2.09 The Coming of Shadows
  
  2.13 Hunter Prey
  
  2.15 And Now For A Word
  
  2.16 In The Shadow of Z'ha'dum
  
  2.19 Divided Loyalties
  
  2.20 The Long, Twilight Struggle
  
  2.22 The Fall of Night
  
  Personally I would very much skip Soul Hunter. It's a bad episode, and it's plot relevance is only for one of the movies. I'm also really not convinced that Survivors is strictly necessary. I guess on that one I'd say give it ten minutes, and if you're not digging it then skip.
  
  From Season 3 through season 4 just watch every episode, it's a really solid show by that point. Season 5 is basically a coda. Watch or skip based on how you're feeling by that point. The main plot functionally resolves at the end of season 4 because of network fuckery.
  
  Thanks!
  
  Nice! Thanks.
- I didn't really enjoy the episodes/season dealing with the Earth separatists. Much rather have earth - alien conflict.
  
  Loved me some Londo.

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