Reviews

Babylon 5 Seasons 1 & 2

The introduction of Hulu into my web IQ has been both a boon to my entertainment consumption and a detriment to my free time.  However, while I’m doing other things like play Warcraft or browse the internet, I’ll load up the next episode in my queue.

What started this whole renaissance of internet television for me was stumbling upon Babylon 5 in the show list.  I have been meaning to actually watch it from start to finish.  While the show was actually running I didn’t have cable, so I only got to catch flashes of it when I was at other people’s houses.  So now that I can go about it the lazy way, I finally decided it was time.

Hulu only has the first two seasons up so far, so that’s what this review will focus on.  I know some people will question the point of writing about such an old show, but maybe I’ll get someone to watch it for the first time or an old fan to go back and revisit.  It’s definitely a show worth watching, and I’m still hungry for the rest of it.

One of the most interesting things about the show is the lengths that it went to in order to keep the overall plot arc going.  Of course, each episode definitely stands alone, but each advances the storyline in some way.  The viewers are introduced to all of the characters – mostly the ship’s officers and the various ambassadors – and they are the central focus of the series.  Since so much attention is paid to character development, a greater attachment is formed.

One of the things I noticed early on was the similarity of Commander Sinclair to Captain Archer from Star Trek Enterprise.  Maybe it was just something I made up in my head, but their character backgrounds and their motivations seemed very close.  I’m not suggesting that there was any specific connection, but more that it’s a very good science fiction staple.

Season 1 was pretty much an introduction to the world, its history, and the major players.  There was a lot of character building and exposition, but all of it was done rather well.  Running through the background of all of this was a definite foreshadowing of something darker and more important to come.

At the beginning of Season 2, John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner, otherwise always known as TRON) takes over for Commander Sinclair as chief of the Babylon 5 station, with almost no explanation.  I haven’t looked up if this was done on purpose or if it was another ‘this actor didn’t want to do it anymore’ things.  Either way, it was a little bit of a shock.  I had grown attached to the way the station/show worked with Sinclair, so I had to get used to a different feel to the show.  It all worked out, and Season 2 ramps up the tension as well as the storyline.

The computer graphics are a bit dated, but they are a good look back to the state of computer animation in the years when the show was created.  I also learned that the technology was also used in a short-lived series that I watched on TV when it aired called Hypernauts.  I’m still trying to track down the rest of that show – it was rather interesting for a ‘kid’s show.’

Bottom line: go watch Babylon 5 on Hulu right now, or if you are an obsessive compulsive collector of TV shows on DVD, I’m pretty sure it’s all available – but I don’t guarantee it.