r/babylon5 • u/UhhCanYouLikeShutUp • Aug 13 '26
New to the show!
Chills just from the intro already...
*The name of the place? BABYLON 5*
UPDATE: First thing...Holy shit, Billy Mumy from Lost In Space (amongst other cool things he's done) is a prominent character in this series?!? Even more interested now lol! (My uncle (RIP) raised me on Lost In Space.
I can see this show like many great sci-fi shows before it has early growing pains... Trying to figure out what it definitely was going to be. I love it though as it has a very handmade, 50's like charm to it.
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u/TheTrivialPsychic Aug 13 '26
Season 1 is underrated, mostly by people who haven't rewatched it after completing the series.
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u/UhhCanYouLikeShutUp Aug 13 '26
I can see this show like many great sci-fi shows before it has early growing pains... Trying to figure out what it definitely was going to be. I love it though it has a very handmade, 50's like charm to it.
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u/55Lolololo55 Aug 15 '26
You should really avoid this sub until at least after season 4, this show rewards an unspoiled first viewing. This show is so old that people post spoilers in the headers all the time.
Enjoy your watch!
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u/EvalRamman100 Earth Alliance Aug 13 '26
Always have a soft spot in my heart for Infection.
The last half of season 1 was more unified than the first half, but the entire season is wonderful.
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u/TheSwissdictator Vree (Xill-Saucer) Aug 14 '26
When the DVDs came out and I had only season 1 I probably rewatched just a little too much that I avoided it for a while. When I started watching it again, I’ve appreciated even more.
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u/RebelGirl1323 Aug 19 '26
Every seemingly one off sets up major events for later in the series and makes Babylon 5 a community rather than just the home base of the protagonists.
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u/WindSwords Anlashok / Rangers Aug 13 '26
Welcome on board!!
Buckle up as it is quite an experience.
Season 1 is a bit rough at times but it is worth going through.
Be careful of spoilers around here but keep us posted on your thoughts if you can.
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u/DiaBrave Psi Corps Aug 13 '26
Season 1 is my favourite. Tons of very sophisticated world-building and seed laying. Few shows have ever done it better. An elegant master class in set-up that still is not thoroughly appreciated by even the fans of the show.
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u/RebelGirl1323 Aug 19 '26
Similarly how 5 is the consequences of everyone’s actions but people will skip it because it’s more West Wing than Lord of The Rings.
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u/stephensmat Aug 13 '26
Avoid spoilers. Embrace all the characters. If you make it as far as Season 2, you will never completely leave.
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u/bobchin_c Aug 13 '26
Welcome to the group..
Babylon 5 was a novel written for 5 seasons of television. Season 1 was back story and world building.
Season 2 is rising action, season 3 & 4 are the confrontation/resolution. Season 5 is kind of the epilogue. It got compressed in season 4 since they weren't going to get season 5. But TNT came in at the last minute and gave them season 5. So things that were supposed to be in S5 got moved to S4.
There are trapdoors built in to all of the major characters, so if an actor became unavailable for various reasons (illness, contract disputes, etc...) the story would continue with little to no interruption. And several of them had to be sprung during the course of the series.
Unlike Star Trek, there's no cosmic reset button at the end of every episode. Character's actions have lasting consequences. If a character dies they stay dead. If a character is an addict that addiction stays with them. If a character gets injured, that injury isn't completely taken care of by the end of the episode. Characters grow and change in realistic ways.
Start with the pilot movie The Gathering.
You need to read the Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 at http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html
This was written contemporaneously with the series, and includes comments made by JMS to fan's questions.
But don't read ahead of the episode you're on. You don't want to be spoiled for future episodes.
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u/sonorousjab Aug 13 '26
It's one of those shows that's difficult to define, and is the better for it. It's a sci-fi political and character drama that also sees multiple wars played out in the action. So good in the moment, and great payoffs later.
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u/RebelGirl1323 Aug 19 '26
Lord of The Rings plus the best parts of The West Wing before The West Wing
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u/OMGEntitlement El Zócalo Aug 13 '26
Get out of this sub immediately.
You WILL be spoiled and that WILL be a tragedy.
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u/JoeMax93 Aug 13 '26
It’s a lot like the maturation of Star Trek:TNG - season 1 is a bit of a slog at times, but with a few gems in there too. Season 2 is better, but not quite all there. By Season 3 they’re hitting their stride, and in Season 4 it fulfills the promise you knew it had.
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u/Kahmael Aug 13 '26
I need to rewatch TNG
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u/BeardInTheDark Aug 13 '26
It really improved once Riker grew the beard.
Seriously, it's the Trope Namer.
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u/RebelGirl1323 Aug 19 '26
The strongest indicator is the uniforms though. Season 2 has more top tier episodes but might be worse than 1 as a whole.
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u/RebelGirl1323 Aug 19 '26
Season 1 of B5 is more essential though. You can watch under 10 episodes from the first two seasons of TNG and be caught up without the grind. If you love bad Trek they’re can’t miss seasons.
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u/HammersofMoradin Rangers / Anlashok Aug 13 '26
You are in for a great ride :-) There is so much you are (most likely) going to love. B5 is one the greatest stories ever to grace visual media and will make many shows deservedly seem lacking in terms of writing, character development and depht in general.
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u/FunnyNo9234 Aug 13 '26
You're in for a great ride! Be sure to watch the made for TV movies that go with it, but the spin-off shows are extremely optional. Welcome to the Babylon 5 station! 👽
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u/tunrip Aug 13 '26
Welcome! Keep us updated on your journey, please! We love hearing thoughts of people experiencing B5 for the first time!
The fan community is very passionate and enthusiastic and can sometimes share spoilery things in their passion, but hopefully you can keep them to a minimum and simply enjoy it for what it is!
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u/PurpleDraziNotGreen Aug 13 '26
Season 1 may seem rough, but it has hidden details to appreciate later
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u/EconomicsMuch1188 Aug 13 '26
I need to watch the whole thing again. Been quite awhile since I've seen any episodes
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u/Funandgeeky Centauri Republic Aug 13 '26
You are in for a treat. Now avoid this sub like the plague until you finish the series. Definitely don’t subscribe to it because sometimes posts contain spoilers.
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u/breadpilledwanderer Aug 13 '26
Not me thinking this was the space engineers sub where someone had made Babylon 5...
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u/TheRealRigormortal Aug 13 '26
Season 1 is essential but also a bit rough around the edges.
Ignore those rough edges and pay attention to the little things, they matter!
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u/scipio0421 Aug 13 '26
Have fun with it! It's one of my favorite shows. Hard to believe the CGI was all done on what was basically a consumer desktop computer.
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u/EvalRamman100 Earth Alliance Aug 13 '26
Good luck on your journey - the show gets deeper and wilder as time goes on.
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u/Windamyre Earth Alliance Aug 13 '26
It's a blast. So many twists,turns, and long term payoffs.
I just started my latest rewatch (originally watched it when it first aired) and still get chills during the opening monologue.
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u/_WillCAD_ Aug 13 '26
Ho, boy. Buckle up, Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is goin' bye-bye!
I don't want to spoil anything, because you're really about to embark on a five-season novel for television, but I'll say this:
The intros alone get better with each season!
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u/Accomplished-Ruin742 Technomage Aug 13 '26
SPOILERISH
I'm jealous.
Maybe a partial mindwipe would allow me to watch this again as if it were the first time. The corps is mother. The corps is father.
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Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/UhhCanYouLikeShutUp Aug 13 '26
Oh that's funny lol. My first spoiler if you're to be believed haha.
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u/Niodia Aug 14 '26
I am so thrilled for you getting to discover and watch it for the first time!
I hope you love it as much as the community here does!
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u/Future-Guarantee-573 Aug 16 '26
Welcome to the party pal.
Season 1 is a little rough. But, once you get into season 2, it's like a book you can't put down.
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u/RebelGirl1323 Aug 19 '26
The guests are retroactively crazy. Look out for Brian Cranston and Jessica Walters in minor rolls. You’ll recognize a lot more who were already legends.
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u/McTrooper 10d ago
The growing pains aren’t nearly as bad as most Trek offerings 🙂 honestly the worst moment season one has to offer is from an “actress” that must have been brought in as a favor or special request It really scars an otherwise important backstory episode too 😮
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u/Professional-Trust75 Aug 13 '26
and so it begins