Easily the greatest science fiction television saga ever!, February 22, 1999

By	Steven Yates "free your mind" (Greenville, South Carolina USA) - See all my reviews

This set also contains the first four episodes, MIDNIGHT ON THE FIRING LINE, SOUL HUNTER, BORN TO THE PURPLE, and INFECTION (1993). MIDNIGHT starts with a bang, establishing the ongoing enmity between two alien races, the Narn and the Centauri. After that, things never really let up. There is plenty here for everyone. Whether your addiction is to sci-fi space action, suspense, or behind-the-scenes scheming and plotting, you will not be disappointed. The dialogue--thought-provoking, often witty, always intelligent--has prompted some of us to begin compiling our own collections of "5 quotations". The characters are complex, engaging, and frequently have pasts that have left them with a lot of emotional and psychological baggage (Ivanova, Garibaldi, G'Kar).

But the real value in BABYLON 5 is how Straczynski has employed his characters and situations to provoke us to think. The best science fiction, like any form of literature, has always tried to address the human condition and prompt us to try and improve ourselves. BABYLON 5 is no exception. The importance of this show lies not merely with rich, compelling stories about life and conflict aboard a futuristic space station, but in its constant commentary on our own times. Some might find the preachiness annoying or overbearing at times, but plenty of current events indicate that we need this. Thus we find ourselves revisiting the basic evils of racism and xenophobia (Commander Sinclair, in INFECTION: "When you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy!") We observe the corrosive effects of anger and desire for vengeance (G'Kar, the Narn, sarcastically to Londo Mollari the Centauri in MIDNIGHT: "The wheel turns, does it not, Ambassador?") Londo is perhaps the series' most colorful character--a guy who calls his attache a "moon-faced assassin of joy" for interrupting a romantic interlude (in BORN TO THE PURPLE) can't be all bad, one would think. But Londo's casual fascination with power and with reclaiming his Empire's lost glory has already gotten him in trouble. Later in Season One (episodes to be released this year, hopefully) he will make a terrible mistake. Before five seasons of BABYLON 5 have run their course, he will have paid an enormous price.

There are myriad other questions raised in this boxed set. What is the nature of the relationship between Sinclair and the Minbari? What happened to Sinclair during those "lost hours" during the Battle of the Line? Why did the Minbari stop the Earth-Minbari War on the eve of victory? Finally, who are the enigmatic and mysterious Vorlons, and what is their role in the events to unfold?

For those already in the B5 "family", I trust I haven't said too much! No spoilers here, just a teaser or two (or three or four). For potential viewers who have never watched this show, I hope I've whetted your curiosity a little. To sum up, BABYLON 5 is easily the most intelligent and thought-provoking show of the 1990s, science fiction or otherwise. It is one of the few television shows that actually compelled me to reexamine aspects of my own thinking. If there is any justice in this universe, J. Michael Straczynski will soon be as respected as Gene Roddenberry.

Two final notes. Visually, BABYLON 5 is brilliant. And last but not least, we shouldn't forget the gripping soundtrack by Christopher Franke (ex-Tangerine Dream)

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Beginning of a very deep rich sci-fi experience, January 21, 2001

By	W. Christie - See all my reviews

Instead, B5 (in a sense a huge metaphor for our times), shows a cosmos populated with the self-interest of bickering alien races and the attempts of the crew of B5 to maintain a space station created by earth (after a devastating war that almost destroyed human kind) to bring them all together to discuss peace (yet another attempt at a UN that works?). The eventual acknowledged failure of that goal leads to interplanetary war between 2 "older races", the Vorlons and Shadows with the younger races being caught in the middle, (a metaphor for the cold war when America and Russia were at each other's throats and the other nations of the planet were pawn pieces?).

If you are looking for an ADULT sci-fi masterpiece that evolves via a continuing connected story line over 5 seasons, try B5. Although not a rich man, I have bought ALL the published videos to enjoy the greater visual quality, even though I taped many of them from the original live TV broadcast.

My only complaint is much of seasons 3 and 4 are not available via Amazon.com. I would hope this will be remedied at some point in the future. If you did not have access to these seasons of B5 on TV (now showing them on the sci-fi channel), you may be a bit lost if you must rely only on the tapes available on Amazon.com for the complete story line.

Final note: do not judge the series by the first tape in this series. I understand it was originally a made-for-TV movie that