Babylon 5
- Thread starter Kail
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Sinclair seemed too much like a Scifi Captain archetype to me.
I might agree his acting was better but Boxleitner's was better suited the role.
I might agree his acting was better but Boxleitner's was better suited the role.
Remember: Fasten/zip.
Oh, I *so* envy you your first two viewings of the whole show!
Do yourself a favor and don't skip any episodes. Somebody did try to find episodes that didn't have any arc points in them and failed. Sometimes it's what seems to be a throw-away comment but there's always something. That's one reason why I said the first two viewings. You'll appreciate what was set up much more the second time around.
It starts out feeling episodic at first because that's the way things were back then.
Hope you come to enjoy it as much as many of us have!
Jan
Love B5. Its an older show but very good. Like farscape, season 1 is weaker compared to the other ones but still worth the watch once you start season 2. The show really did a 360 when season 2 came on. I was lucky enough to pick up seasons 1-5 and the movies years ago. Watched up to almost the end of season 4. Then had to get out of dodge. Sadly i lost all my dvd box sets. After farscape is done im hoping to pick them up again. The shadow war arch is just too kick ass.
What I generally tell people about B5. Watch Season 1, and your might want to watch Season 2. Watch Season 2 and you'll definitely want to watch Season 3. Watch Season 3 and you'll be prepared to commit physical violence against anybody who tries to stop you from watching Season 4. And once you've watched Season 4, you might as well watch Season 5.
Yes, Sinclair can come off as "wooden", but you can also chalk that up to aspects of the character, career military, PTSD, etc.
As mentioned by Forbin, the G'Kar-Londo relationship defines synergy. The careful laying of bread-crumbs throughout the first season does make it important.
Otherwise, it would be like "War and Peace" by starting on page 200.
B5 is EPIC!!!! Don't short yourself a minute of the first-time viewing experience.
Yes, Sinclair can come off as "wooden", but you can also chalk that up to aspects of the character, career military, PTSD, etc.
As mentioned by Forbin, the G'Kar-Londo relationship defines synergy. The careful laying of bread-crumbs throughout the first season does make it important.
Otherwise, it would be like "War and Peace" by starting on page 200.
B5 is EPIC!!!! Don't short yourself a minute of the first-time viewing experience.
Babylon 5 is extremely cheesy all the way through. It is also one of the best science fiction tv shows in my opinion. You can tell that the creator was heavily inspired by The Lord of the Rings. In my opinion, I feel that A Song of Ice and Fire was heavily inspired by Babylon 5.
The first season is rough, but it is necessary to watch for the entire show to work. This show is really like a novel: there is a distinct beginning, middle, and end. You cannot skip right to the middle (it would be like starting to read "The Count of Monte Cristo after Edmond has escaped from prison).
If you cannot stand the cheesiness then I would not recommend watching the show. It does not get better in that regard. If you can look past that though, you will find the best written story arc in science fiction television, and there is also some fantastic acting (from some of the actors).
The first season is rough, but it is necessary to watch for the entire show to work. This show is really like a novel: there is a distinct beginning, middle, and end. You cannot skip right to the middle (it would be like starting to read "The Count of Monte Cristo after Edmond has escaped from prison).
If you cannot stand the cheesiness then I would not recommend watching the show. It does not get better in that regard. If you can look past that though, you will find the best written story arc in science fiction television, and there is also some fantastic acting (from some of the actors).
Both times I've watched through B5 I kind of lost interest two thirds through season 5 and jumped straight to the finale.
The acting doesn't get less cartoony but the story becomes compelling enough for it to bother you less. Until season 5.
The acting doesn't get less cartoony but the story becomes compelling enough for it to bother you less. Until season 5.
Trust me, it gets better. MUCH better. Most of S1 is rough but if you stick with it, you will be richly rewarded in subsequent seasons. Just think of it as a "TV series novel". S1 is the prologue that sets up the main storyline in seasons 2-4 and S5 is sort of an extended epilogue. My advice is to keep watching.
The only truly bad acting, IMHO, was the occasional incidental walk-on character. Some of them seem to be reading their lines cold. In a high school play. Maybe Grammar School. I'm thinking of that woman reading from the tour brochure in DownBelow while Franklin was on walkabout, like she was performing a Shakespeare sonnet.
I really have no complaints about the main cast. I don't deny some of the dialog was tough to chew through, but some of it was also sheer brilliance, and they all gave it their professional all.
I really have no complaints about the main cast. I don't deny some of the dialog was tough to chew through, but some of it was also sheer brilliance, and they all gave it their professional all.
I wouldn't say it's bad acting, so much as very cartoony acting at some points. Particularly from characters like Londo or Vir. I guess that's required though if your prosthetics block some of your facial nuances.
I love B5. It didn't have the best acting in TV, but it had one of the more epic and groundbreaking story telling in TV, at the time. The first season was a little iffy, but there are still at least 10 episodes I would easily recommend, and the end of the season is really strong with Babylon Squared, The Voice in the Wilderness and Chrysalis. I have also gained more respect for Sinclair (And how O'Hare portrayed him) as I watch the series.
The acting on B5 was fine, but it was very theatrical, and the fashion now is minimalist pseudo-realism. People also make fun of Twilight Zone and Star Trek for the acting, but it was really a bunch of very talented actors showing off their craft.
Right in the middle of B5, there's that scene in the briefing room where Sheridan decides to declare independence from Earth. All around him is the buzz of conversation as everyone talks passionately about what's going on and what to do, but the camera just focuses on his face. He doesn't say a word, but you can see it all going through his mind and you can see the decision being made-- and then he speaks. It's a wonderful performance.
Right in the middle of B5, there's that scene in the briefing room where Sheridan decides to declare independence from Earth. All around him is the buzz of conversation as everyone talks passionately about what's going on and what to do, but the camera just focuses on his face. He doesn't say a word, but you can see it all going through his mind and you can see the decision being made-- and then he speaks. It's a wonderful performance.
If you were used to a theatrical style of acting, it didn't seem that odd apart from the odd guest actor hamming it up. Back in the early 90s, you would effectively be viewing the actor from a distance if you watched B5 on a 20" TV so the exaggerated style helped. A 50" screen perhaps makes it look too exaggerated now as well as the style being out of vogue.
I wasn't a consistent watcher of Babylon 5, particularly in the earlier seasons. I think it probably picks up in Season 2 and if I recall things really got cooking in Seasons 3 and 4. I also liked Season 5.
I liked B5 for the most part. I thought that the human characters acted more like realistic humans, as opposed to the perfect humans from TNG. Was the show itself perfect? No. Was some of the FX dicey? Yes, but I take it for the time in which they did it. But the stories and many of the characters I thought were interesting. I also liked how JMS created his own sci-fi universe that stood up pretty well. I wish that Crusade, Legends of the Rangers, and Lost Tales had been more successful to keep the franchise going.
I liked B5 for the most part. I thought that the human characters acted more like realistic humans, as opposed to the perfect humans from TNG. Was the show itself perfect? No. Was some of the FX dicey? Yes, but I take it for the time in which they did it. But the stories and many of the characters I thought were interesting. I also liked how JMS created his own sci-fi universe that stood up pretty well. I wish that Crusade, Legends of the Rangers, and Lost Tales had been more successful to keep the franchise going.
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