Comments | melvin_udall: And now for something completely different...

melvin_udall

And now for something completely different...

Apr 30, 2010 13:22

If you are a Babylon 5 fan, the video that follows is absolutely brilliant.

If you are not a Babylon 5 fan but pretend you enjoy science fiction, I do not hear you, as it is the best science fiction series. Bar none. (Firefly was exceptional but too short to compare.) I respect your wrong opinion if you disagree. Although if you say "BSG" or ( Read more... )

babylon 5, scifi

Comments 14

jasini April 30 2010, 17:48:21 UTC

The ending makes me sad. :-(

melvin_udall April 30 2010, 18:01:30 UTC

Kills me every time, too. I even get a bit weepy.

So many of the endings are sad.

But like the rest of the show, they fit.

russj April 30 2010, 18:51:07 UTC

Tom Swift is a great filker. Have you heard his "Talk Like a Pirate Day"?
http://www.josephsons.org/mix/2005%20Music%20Mix/10-Tom%20Smith%20-%20Talk%20Like%20A%20Pirate%20Day.mp3

the_mcp April 30 2010, 20:19:21 UTC

Oh, I don't know, I thought "ST:Deep Space Nine" was pretty good, especially after the 3rd season or so once the "suits" at Paramount got all preoccupied with their shiny new toys (i.e. the "UPN" network and "ST:Voyager") and left the DS9 guys more or less alone to do whatever they wanted.

Which is not to say that DS9 didn't have some really bad episodes, to be sure... but what series doesn't? :)

(And "Enterprise", under Manny Coto's guidance in the 4th season, was starting to improve considerably... but by then, Berman & Braga had cheesed off enough of the fanbase that the improvements came too late to save it in the ratings wars, not to mention that the programming execs running UPN didn't much like the Trek franchise anyway because it was a bad fit for everything else in their lineup. The reality-show and "hip, urban sitcom" viewers wouldn't tune in for "that spaceship show for geeks", and Enterprise viewers didn't give a flip about "Who Wants to be a Supermodel?" or Oprah-wannabe talk shows that came on before and after it, so ( ... )

dexeron April 30 2010, 20:24:50 UTC

I have to agree about Enterprise; if the last season had been the first season, the show would have had a much better fate. It really started to get good that last year, and we saw a bit of the potential it might have had.

Same goes for DS9: not a uniformly good show, but it was good more of the time than it was bad. I'd say that as it went on, it became more consistant than even TNG (which despite being BRILLIANT sometimes, let's face it, was just plain awful at other times.)

As for Voyager, well, yea, it was terrible, but that's my guilty pleasure. I enjoyed it when it was the only thing on after getting home from work late. I won't try to argue that it was any good though, cause, well, it's wasn't. ;)

melvin_udall April 30 2010, 21:51:36 UTC

I have to agree about Enterprise; if the last season had been the first season, the show would have had a much better fate. It really started to get good that last year, and we saw a bit of the potential it might have had.
Absolutely.

As for Voyager, well, yea, it was terrible, but that's my guilty pleasure.
Dude. I am so disappointed.
I struggled to stay watching the first season. Finally I gave up. Every time I went back to watch an ep I was stunned by how they had managed to take what was awful and make it so very much worse.

melvin_udall April 30 2010, 21:48:58 UTC

Deep Space Nine was pretty good. They sadly spent a great deal of time deliberately ripping off ideas (including the Defiant). Sans Worf, who I think detracted, and sans the Bajorans, who made my teeth ache (I can think of maybe one or two redeeming qualities to any actor or story dealing with the Bajorans), it was a respectable show with some good characters. It just wasn't Babylon 5 by any stretch.

I'd put the acting abilities and stories of Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar) and Peter Jurasik (Lando) alone against any in a science fiction series.

(And "Enterprise", under Manny Coto's guidance in the 4th season, was starting to improve considerably
I'd stopped watching after, I think, the first. It was so godawful despite a cast that could have done some great stuff. It was a half step above Voyager, but with a better, more interesting cast.

I'd heard rumors the fourth season would be a tribute to fans since they knew they were done, so I tuned in. Glad I did. It was great stuff. The finale was absolutely kick ass.

not to mention ( ... )

Thread 6

dexeron April 30 2010, 20:21:17 UTC

Thank you for reminding me that I need to watch Babylon 5.

I need to remember to add that to my Netflix queue when I get home. Last time I checked, they don't have it for streaming, but I can at least rent the discs.

melvin_udall April 30 2010, 21:04:06 UTC

I've probably told you this before, but just in case I'll say it again.

The first couple of eps are rough. One could even say most of the first season. They might feel a bit primitive, like ST:TOS in the presentation.

It is absolutely worth the effort. This is a story of real characters in a living, breathing universe. Characters legitimately evolve, or not, as the personality and circumstances apply. And it isn't like BSG or DS9 where they were telling single shot stories and kinda sorta had a story arch they made up as they went along. The story was planned out four years in advance. (Five, actually, but the networks screwed him) The smallest things that happen in the first season often end up having major ramifications in the fourth. Don't spoil it for yourself. Do check it out if you like a character driven story.

prader May 1 2010, 03:12:48 UTC

I bought season 1 and went through it awhile back with a final conclusion of "iffy." However, seeing that you addressed this in the comments above- alluding to everything after season 1 being awesome, I am more inclined to continue.

melvin_udall May 1 2010, 03:33:41 UTC

Hey doc! Haven't seen you in forever!

I hope all is well.

Think of the four seasons as a novel. The first quarter is setup. Give it one more season. If you aren't sold, stop. I've watched the first four seasons start to finish three times. That doesn't mean you'll like it. But I've a feeling you will.

prader May 1 2010, 03:45:22 UTC

Haven't seen you in forever!

Yeah, as much as I'd like to say I've been doing some payroll reduction work on the organization behind the Ft. Hood shooting, the truth is faaar less impressive.

I'll be back more or less full time in a few days. And I'm good. Thanks!

I'll give season 2 a shot now that my schedule is more open.