this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2026
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I’ve never seen Babylon 5.. am I missing out?
It will either change your world, or help you accept that you are really a simple person at heart.
Definitely. It was a groundbreaking show with some of the best character development and plot arcs on television, including everything that has come after. Incredible performances, deep lore, and fantastic writing.
You’ll have to get past the dated effects and synth soundtrack, but that’s easy after a few episodes. If you like sci-fi, you’ll love Babylon 5.
But I love dated effects and synth soundtracks!
don't threaten me with a good time!
Have I got good news for you…
B5 also had the best space combat with speed vectors or whatever is closer to real physics instead of shops and shuttles flying like boats and airplanes.
Babylon 5 also seemed to write better space combat with the larger ships. Spacedock has a good video about the Battle of Proxima 3 where it goes through how the show wrote a believable naval civil war battle including understanding the geography of the area, the tactics of the different forces, and the politics behind the battle.
With the quirk that only most ships fly like that. Ships with gravimetric drives (ships made by the Vorlons, Minbari, and Centauri) fly like boats and aircraft. Which then gets really cool when you notice both types of ship behaving correctly in the same shot.
I was thinking of the human fighters and forgot that the alien ships did move in a more alien way!
If you like sci-fi political drama mixed with action and intrigue, yes.
Otherwise, yes.
I love DS9 so I guess Babylon is up next
I won't lie, G'Kar = Accidental Jesus got me.
Saving this for after I understand
It's good and an easy watch, only 5 seasons. SURE you can watch all the movies too and maybe the spin off series but in all honestly you can probably skip the spin off.
The first season can be a struggle to get through for many people but you kinda have to watch it as everything ties together. and there's a major plot point you won't understand or appreciate in the last couple seasons unless you watch season 1. But once the Shadow War kicks off man that show hits its stride, starts running, and just doesn't stop until the very last episode.
The space combat is probably the absolute best. The best part in that series is seeing jump gates open at JUST the right time and wondering whose coming out of them.
I recently did an in-universe chronological rewatch of b5 and daaaaaaamn did it sing
Not to mention the graphic design of the whole thing. Those black ships gave me the absolute creeps back in the day. And obviously there's no sound in space, luckily the ships are telepathic and scream in your mind as they go by. Fucking sci-fi Aztec Death Whistles, jikes!
Picard ripped off the shadow vessel design so damned hard...
Crusade was pretty forgettable, and didn't help me enjoy Babylon 5 more or anything. I wouldn't hesitate to skip it. The one thing I do remember about it is how the person controls the ship's weapons systems. It was pretty cool how they get suspended in midair in an empty room and their bodily gestures are somehow translated into weapons actions.
Karate guns were actually from Legend of the Rangers, which never made it past the pilot movie. Crusade was the series TNT fucked with so they could activate an escape clause in their contract, with episodes that didn't make sense in any order and only half a season produced.
That explains why I couldn't find a video or anything when searching for info on the subject!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapAjjTDbh4
This sure looks more silly and nonsensical than what I remember. Though I'm not sure if this video is exactly what was in the episode or if the video was edited to make it more silly. EDIT: I just skipped around the actual episode. That scene in the YouTube video is definitely the most obnoxious of the karate guns scenes, but that is exactly how the scene went. No video editing trickery to make it seem more silly.
So, I guess that means I don't remember anything from Crusade. I definitely remember the techno mage, but I don't remember anything specific about him, and he was also a major character in a few episodes of Babylon 5 anyway. I do remember the captain asking for TPS reports.
Yes.
It’s the first TV show with actual character arcs - planned out from the start
Offhand remarks from S1 will realise into actual actions in S4
The CGI is of course dated at this point, especially the space battle stuff. Characters are largely practical though, so they look fine still.
Otherwise IMO the first season starts a little slow and there's a ton exposition heavy stuff early to introduce the world. It does pick up soon though and it avoids the returning to status quo after episode quite well. Pretty much every episode moves some of the bigger background plots forward
I love deep lore and exposition so this will be fun.
Definitely don’t mind older effects either.
B5 wins for being the only serious sci fi series that had a species that flew actual stereotypical flying saucers
Also the gag about the species that own those things look like greys and really did abduct humans for experimentation, and now the descendants of those humans are suing.
B5's gags were top tier
You get characters like G'Kar who are obviously just human actors in stiff latex prosthetics and it's pretty immersion-breaking. You just have to look past it and pretend it's actually a lizard person, like you do with Cardassians.
The actor's performance is lauded so consistently that the prosthetics really don't seem like a problem for most people. We're mostly not beyond the point where sci-fi aliens are basically humans, because they're played by humans and speak like humans. Whether it's make-up or motion capturing for CGI.
It takes huge efforts to move beyond that, like Rocky. I'm sure there are more, but probably not many - anyone got other examples?
G'Kar's prosthetics are actually shockingly malleable. The brow actually moves and the area around the mouth is soft enough for stuff like big grins.
People love it and all respect to them. I could never get into it. Back in the day, serialized storytelling on TV was often harder to break into because you didn’t just sit down and steam whole series in order. You had to watch whatever was on the air and whenever Babylon 5 came on I’d check it out, be totally lost on what was happening, get sick of all the talking, and change the channel.
Me watching the first episode: Wow, the budget for these episodes is someone’s lunch money.
Me watching the last episode: 🫡😭
You need the 4:3 4k rescan version, it’s so unbelievably crispy and correct.
Which is honestly too bad because the show was originally filmed for 16:9 with the expectation that 16:9 TVs would become common in the near future, which they did. The 4k version is only 4:3 because the effects were done on the cheap and mastered for 4:3 standard definition and nobody that could afford it wants to redo all the effects work.
No. You get harsher contrasts in quality whenever a digital effect is used.
And, starting with Mind War, there is an increasing appearance of green tint on everything until it dominates.
Get the DVDs while you still can.
I got the entire ezy dvd boxed set complete with a b5 backpack back in the 00's.
Donde
B5 is a more honest tale (feels handmade and passionate), that you might not appreciate if you need high production values to keep interested.
B5 is less accessible, and sometimes you need to be paying attention. DS9 is better at spoon feeding you and making sure you have what you need. B5 is trying to tell the B5 story. DS9 is trying to expand its region of Star Trek story telling, and occasionally wanders into expert episodes of single story high sci-fi. B5 is a different kind of epic (more like a Space Opera)
They both do great things but some people want the backing and polish of a Star Trek univese, which can make DS9 feel more like home, whilst also preventing it from feeling alien. B5 feels more alien and like there's something unknown going on, as scifi maybe should?
Just like DS9 takes 3 seasons to find its footing, B5 takes almost the whole first season. But then the rewards are so, so good...
I'm having such a hard time getting through the first season of B5. DS9 at least is comfy right from the beginning and just keeps on getting better. I really have to pull myself together and continue watching B5...
First time is always hard, but the payoff is well worth it
Sounds like fun. I got through SG-1 and has fun in an MST3K way but I’m sure this will be better
SG-1 is almost more of a comedy disguised as a sci-fi,. particularly in later seasons. I love it, but it was certainly an adjustment after seeing the other major sci-fi shows of the 90s.
Agreed it hit like a parody so when they put in a meta tv show it sent me.
While I'm a DS9 fan Babylon 5 is not a TV show its a Novel and D&D campaign that took the form of a TV show. The amount of forethought he took was amazing.
Well put. I am not the biggest fan, there are quite a few weak episodes and I was cringing a lot at Lando and G'Kar for a long while. I dropped it on my first attempt and only returned to it when I ran out of trek material. I'm now on last few episodes and, yes, it was worth it. The amount of character growth, the crazy long story arcs and the sense of direction is really unique. Or, if it's not, I'd really like to hear about other contenders.
Tried watching the first episode a couple of times but it didn't really capture my interest. Plus somehow the video quality managed to be even worse than DS9.
S1 starts a bit slow, but it's most certainly worth watching this amazing show.
It's definitely a slow start - lots of world building being done.