Want to watch Babylon 5, but not all of it

[empty]

Hate to open up another B5 thread, but I didn't want to derail any of the other ones... and also I didn't want to get spoilered. I have never seen an episode of Babylon 5 and really have no idea at all what it's about, but am really intrigued by all the good sentiment it seems to get here.

The thing is that I don't really want to invest a huge amount of time into it necessarily, especially since I have read that there are a lot of subpar or insignificant episodes throughout the 5 seasons.

So I recently came across this WHAM list which highlights the episodes most important to the overall plot.

I wanted to ask if I would deprive myself of a lot of the fun of B5 by only watching these episodes (the first time around at least). Is it heresy, or kind of okay to just get a feel for the series?

I figure I can always go back and watch all the other eps later, but at the moment I really don't want to spend months and months on episodes that don't necessarily go anywhere all too interesting.

Please also let me know if there are any episodes apart from those highlighted that are really important or just great standalones...

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Eh... sorry pal, if there's a series where you really really really have to watch completely from the beginning, it's Babylon 5. It's perhaps the uber-mother of all story arc-driven series.

For instance, Season 1 consists almost completely of apparent standalone episodes which some even consider to be mediocre the first time they watch the series. But you have to watch all of it first to fully understand and appreciate the rollercoaster ride which is coming later. Babylon 5 simply wasn't designed in a way where you can watch random episodes completely out of context.

And I suppose there isn't another B5 fan who will tell you different.

My recommendation: Watch the first two seasons in their entirety. If you're not hooked by then, Babylon 5 isn't probably something for you. But it's more likely that it will be something for you. And the best episodes of B5 are yet to come in Seasons 3 and 4 (especially the latter halfs of those seasons).

 

[RoJoHen]

I'd say there are maybe a few random episodes from Season 1 that could be skipped, but otherwise I think you really need to watch the whole thing.

 

[Jan]

Somebody went through the B5 episodes once to try to find the ones that didn't have any arc material in them. He didn't find any. IMO, the reason why the Wham episodes have so much punch is because they're often building on what came before, not just important on their own.

For me, character is paramount and IMO this list leaves off the great character episodes as well as the universe-building ones and it's those episodes that set the tone for the series. You're not as likely to understand the Earth Arc or care what happens to the Centauri ambassador without the background of seeing episodes like 'The War Prayer', for instance.

As for outstanding stand-alones, some of them tended to be experimental and so are a matter of taste. Among my favorites, though, are 'A Late Delivery from Avalon', 'Comes the Inquisitor', 'The Illusion of Truth' and 'Passing Through Gethsemane'.

Regarding the time investment, I guess the question is do you want the most from it? While there may be a number of less significant episodes, I think extremely few of them could be categorized as sub-par.

So it's obvious that my opinion is that one should watch the series in it's entirety. B5 is a show that rewards careful attention and that investment in your time because, while each episode (moreso in the first couple of seasons) stands alone, each episode also builds on what came before. I'll be interested to see what other's opinions are.

Jan

 

[Sky]

I have to agree with the previous posters. B5 doesn't really work that well if you skip episodes. Even the ones which have less arc material and a lot of information which you will need to understand & enjoy the grand story. I don't think you'll regret the time invested if you watch the whole series through - although you will need a little bit of strength and determination to get through season 1.

 

[The Borg Queen]

You could always just watch the first 4 seasons and ignore season 5.

 

[Jan]

You could always just watch the first 4 seasons and ignore season 5.

Not if he cared at all what happened to a certain character, he couldn't.

Which brings up another point. There's a wide spectrum of opinion as tho what constitutes 'good' or 'bad' episodes. Why not wait until asked which episodes one dislikes instead of jumping in to pre-emptively prejudice somebody who hasn't even started watching yet?

Jan

 

[Reverend]

Please also let me know if there are any episodes apart from those highlighted that are really important or just great standalones...

Short answer? Most of them.
If you don't want to invest allot of time in B5 then it's probably not the show for you.
The whole show is like a novel and if you skim past certain chapters then you're not really experiencing the book, you may as well be skipping to the end and find out the butler did it, without understanding what he did and why.

 

[empty]

Hmm, not the answers I was hoping for, but you guys have me convinced! I'm going to take the time to watch the first season and then decide whether it's worth the other 80 or so episodes too.
Thanks for all the responses!

 

[Angel4576]

You really should watch until the end of the second season. If you don't think much of it at the end of the first IMO there's still a chance that you'd enjoy the second season forward, they're even more arc-intensive.

If you watch up to season 2's end and don't think much of it then I'd say without hesitation that you're not going to like the rest of it.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Hmm, not the answers I was hoping for, but you guys have me convinced! I'm going to take the time to watch the first season and then decide whether it's worth the other 80 or so episodes too.
Thanks for all the responses!

Very well then. But I would remind you that the 1st season's main purpose is to establish this universe before the real action can start. It's setup... but necessary setup.

While watching Season 1 it would be good to pay attention to the following episodes in particular, because they will give you a small glimpse of what is to come and what the remaining series will be about: Mind War, And the Sky Full of Stars, Signs and Portents, Babylon Squared, Chrysalis.

 

[Harvey]

"Mind War," "Signs and Portents," "Babylon Squared," and "Chrysalis" are the episodes that you need to pay the closest attention to, quality-wise. If you think they stink, then the series probably won't win you over in the end. But if you enjoy them, but find the rest of the first season lacking, keep going through season two, because it does get better and more consistent.

 

[Mr Light]

Last year I introduced my GF to B5, and these are the episodes of S1 that I showed her: Gathering, Firing Line, Soul Hunter, Parliament, Mind War, Sky Stars, Deathwalker, Signs Portents, Voice 1-2, B2, Crystalis. Outside of these episodes, you'll really just miss nice little character moments, foreshadowing, idea introductions, but nothing crucial. When introducing someone to this show, the less they see of S1 the better! And I say this with B5 as my all time favorite show.

 

[chrisspringob]

I'm going to diverge from the other opinions expressed here slightly, and say that while I am certainly a completist, and love the show so much that I would not want to skip any episodes, your mileage may vary, and it's possible to skip some episodes, and still get >90% of the B5 experience. I've introduced a couple of people to the series who are not quite as obsessive about sci-fi or TV in general as I am, and with them I skipped quite a few Season 1 and 2 episodes that are on the weaker side and that aren't very important to the arc, because I was afraid they'd get bored with it, and not want to watch anymore. I don't know that that's so disastrous. I'm not sure that you're really missing *that much* by skipping, say, "Eyes" or "Spider in the Web".

So my advice would be....start watching every episode from the beginning, but if, after a few episodes, you find yourself saying "This is stupid. This show really isn't very compelling, and not worth the big time investment, so I'm going to quit", then you might consider trying to continue with the show but skipping some of the episodes. It's less than ideal, but much better than giving up on the show completely. In other words, I would not agree with anyone who says, for example "If you're going to skip TKO, then you might as well not watch the show at all because your experience will be ruined."

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

I'm going to diverge from the other opinions expressed here slightly, and say that while I am certainly a completist, and love the show so much that I would not want to skip any episodes, your mileage may vary, and it's possible to skip some episodes, and still get >90% of the B5 experience. I've introduced a couple of people to the series who are not quite as obsessive about sci-fi or TV in general as I am, and with them I skipped quite a few Season 1 and 2 episodes that are on the weaker side and that aren't very important to the arc, because I was afraid they'd get bored with it, and not want to watch anymore. I don't know that that's so disastrous. I'm not sure that you're really missing *that much* by skipping, say, "Eyes" or "Spider in the Web".

So my advice would be....start watching every episode from the beginning, but if, after a few episodes, you find yourself saying "This is stupid. This show really isn't very compelling, and not worth the big time investment, so I'm going to quit", then you might consider trying to continue with the show but skipping some of the episodes. It's less than ideal, but much better than giving up on the show completely. In other words, I would not agree with anyone who says, for example "If you're going to skip TKO, then you might as well not watch the show at all because your experience will be ruined."

I was always inclined to say "you have to see all episodes written by J. Michael Straczynski and skip all the others". But then I checked and I saw that the somehwat significant (mostly because of what happens in an important Season 3 and in an important Season 4 episode ) Season 1 episode "Born to the Purple" was written by Larry DiTillio, while JMS penned the almost forgettable "Infection". So even this rule won't apply in all cases.

The problem is to decide which episodes are really "unimportant". Ask ten different B5 fans which episodes you might skip and you'll get at least ten different answers. Because fan A will think that episode B is unimportant to the overall story arc, while fan C disagrees with this assessment.

 

[Harvey]

^^
That rule also runs into another problem. Namely, Strazynski wrote every script but one (excluding two "story by" credits for Harlan Ellison) beginning with the later half of season two on. You're not weeding out that much in the end.

 

[Hyperspace05]

I think that "WHAM" list is pretty good.

You could watch the season 1 "WHAM" episodes plus the first two of Season 2. That gives you a decent look at what direction the show is going, although there will be MANY surprises down the road.

But if you can;t stand the show at that point, don't torture yourself further.

 

[Stanley]

My first exposure to Babylon 5 was the last six episodes of Season 4. I loved it! Naturally I was curious about the preceding seasons, but I wondered how much crap I would have to wade through. I thought what I had seen was a fluke -- no show could be this consistently good. When Sci-Fi started showing it, I watched it when I could, completely out of order. I still loved it!

But there are some stinkers, mostly in Seasons one and five. So watch the Wham! list (I'd include midnight on the firing line) up to Babylon Squared. If you've gotten hooked by then, go back and watch the ones you missed.

 

[Hyperspace05]

OOPS, yes, "Midnight on the firing lane" (season 1 premier episode) definitely needs to be included on that list. It does a lot of universe/character introduction and lays a lot of foundation for events that happen years later.

 

[ATimson]

I'm not sure that you're really missing *that much* by skipping, say, "Eyes" or "Spider in the Web".

"Spider", maybe (don't really remember it). But "Eyes" has Jeffrey Combs, and is thus unskippable.