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67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily the greatest science fiction television saga ever!, February 22, 1999
This is something I've awaited for a long time. This boxed set contains the first installments of J. Michael Straczynski's five-year "novel for television." THE GATHERING (orig. 1992) is a slightly touched-up TNT version of the series pilot. At first glance, THE GATHERING might seem slow moving and overly tedious in places. But while it is certainly demanding, it had a lot of weight to carry both introducing many of the main characters and setting the stage for the complex plot developments to come. There are minor problems, but overall THE GATHERING works.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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41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beginning of a very deep rich sci-fi experience, January 21, 2001
I could write a review of each B5 video, but instead I decided to consolidate my thoughts into 1 review at the start of the published series. As a 48 year old professional man who has historically had little interest in sci-fi, I was deeply touched and engrossed in B5, when it originally aired on UPN, and subsequently moved to TNT. This is a series written by a master story teller, mapped out with great detail and depth with a 5 season plan. Not like your typical TV sci-fi show (e.g., the perennial Star Trek derivatives that seem to often rely on the "monster/alien invasion/crisis of the week" and contain characters who march around in skin tight military body suits doing their non-thinking duty like the personified ideal of some totalitarian society of the future), B5 portrays a world of real human beings. There is still poverty, corruption, back biting, political pressure, dirt, grime, swearing, humor, mourning, hope, charity and kindness. In other words, the future is still a REAL PLACE, not a white washed Disney Land where high technology has somehow solved all mankind's problems so we can focus on testosterone goals, such as boldly going where we were not invited! 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 was later transformed into the weekly series. Characterizations were still weak at that point, the scenery was much more murky (dark) than what became standard in the series, and some of the major characters (who I also saw as weak) were replaced by the first episode of the TV series. So much the better! Evolution is the word that springs to mind for this series, not filler between internet provider commercials (casting a final aspirsion upon Star Trek, the boom-bam show that high tech advertisers cattering to yuppie boredom love...).
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-Have for Collectors and Fans, December 2, 1998
By A Customer
First of all, you have to understand: This box contains the first four one-hour episodes of Season One and the two-hour pilot episode, The Gathering, for only $35 dollars. Considering the pilot as 2 episodes, that's less that 6 dollars a shot. (Other popular SF shows sell single episodes for $15. Or 2 for $20.) Secondly, it is the Special Edition pilot episode - complete with new score by Christopher Franke and missing footage. The result is a tighter, faster paced, more staisfying introduction to the complex world of Babylon 5. Thirdly, each video jacket has it's own individual cover design. One gets the feeling that each video is a special part of a much greater whole. Fourthly, it's just good TV - arguably the most compelling SF TV ever. Midnight on the Firing Line goes for your throat right at the beginning and doesn't let go. Other episodes include, in order, Soul Hunter, Born to the Purple, and Infection.The only deterrent may be a desire to wait until the entire series appears on DVD. But... well. I'll let you decide.
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