TV Show Review: Babylon 5 - Complete Series

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: A wonderful show with 3D characters and intricate plotting.

Cons: First season is slow, early effects are cheesy. Worth noting mainly in passing.

The Bottom Line:

The real characters

Pull you into the drama

Love every second

20 Years Later, It's Still My Favorite Show

Babylon 5 is a five-mile long space station. Located deep in neutral territory, it is designed to prevent intergalactic war by providing a place where peace can be worked out between the alien races. Run by Earth, it was built with help from the Minbari after the Earth - Minbari War that was started over a misunderstanding and almost ended with the human race destroyed. Since it is also a trade station, it attracts aliens of all kinds on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, it also attracts trouble. There are raiders in the area, the Narn and Centauri races have at best a fragile peace, and someone is always trying to smuggle something on board.

Even worse, an ancient enemy is rebuilding forces. There are rumors and sightings, but what's true? The Minbari and Vorlon ambassadors seem to know more then they are willing to share. Why? Just what are they hiding? And why did the Minbari surrender hours before they destroyed Earth?

Babylon 5 is still unique in television. It set out to tell a single story over five years. Even more impressive, series creator J. Michael Straczynski had the entire story mapped out before he even started. Now keep in mind, this was before Buffy or Lost.  A story arc at all was unheard of on TV at the time, much less a novel for TV, which is what this really is.

This complete series set includes all 110 episodes from the five seasons. The added Movies set includes the original pilot and some other films that were made while they were filming the 5th season.  You've got everything you need here to enjoy the entire saga.

Another unique thing about the series is the fact that it was the first TV show to use CGI for its effects shots. At the time, the Star Trek franchise was still using models. Some of these effects, especially close ups, look very cheesy, but the first two seasons were completed in the early 90's before Toy Story hit theaters. While the effects can be jarring, the story is so good I hardly notice most of the time.

Season 1 is the most uneven and hardest to get into, but the beginnings of the story are there, and it lays the background on the races, people, and cultures we will be dealing with over the course of the show. As such, it's very important to watch. Just keep telling yourself it gets better.

Season 2 brings a new captain and a storyline that is gaining speed. Bruce Boxleitner steps on board as Captain John Sheridan. While there are still plenty of stand-alone episodes, the story really begins to gel and little things happen that move the story forward in almost every show.

Season 3 brings surprises and increasing tension. Earth becomes a problem in this season as the dictator running the planet begins to abuse his power. Meanwhile, the Shadows are becoming stronger and Sheridan is trying to determine whom he can really trust.

Season 4 is full steam ahead as most of the plot lines are resolved. Every episode advances the story, bringing in things from all three previous seasons for a ride you won't want to miss. By this point, it is best to have watched the other seasons, but you could jump in here if you have patient friends willing to explain back story and alien culture to you. I know because I did.

Season 5 was a last minute reprieve so it starts slow since it has little previous story to immediately resolve like the previous years have. However, the viewer is once again hooked by the half way point by the amazing story telling. By this point, the characters have grown and changed so much they seem like different people. Watching the last few episodes always chokes me up as I once again say goodbye to these friends.

As previously mentioned, this show starred Bruce Boxleitner for four of the five seasons. With a few exceptions, the rest of the cast were unknowns at the time and many are best known for their work here. However, they all did a fine job of bringing their characters to life each week and pulling the viewer into the action. Regular stars included Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan (who recurred on Lost), Richard Biggs, Bill Mummy (Will Robinson from Lost in Space), Stephen Furst, Andrea Thompson (who would go on to star on NYPD Blue and a season of 24 as well as work for CNN), Patricia Tallman, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, and Jeff Conaway (of Taxi fame).

Of course, if you are looking at this page, odds are you are already a fan and looking for information on the sets. The picture, presented in wide screen, is mostly good, with some dust popping up occasionally. Sound is presented in full surround and has never sounded better. Each set contains two audio commentaries by series creator J. Michael Straczynski and a season intro by cast and crew. They also have some behind the scenes documentaries and encyclopedia entries introducing you to the world of Babylon 5. All the sets but season 1 have one audio commentary each by various cast members and great blooper reels hidden in the data files area as Easter eggs.

Whether you buy the seasons bundled like this or individually, don't miss your chance to own this fantastic TV series. Bought here, all you'll be missing is the spin off series Crusade, which didn't even last a full season (unfortunately).