I did not care for it at first. I started watching an episode here or there, around the time Bruce Boxleitner was added to the cast. After a while I and wife were really interested in it. It was a great series, save for the last season, it was a little weak.

I loved B5. One thing that many people didn't know was that B5 was a planned story from beginning to end. J. Michael Stracinzsky (sp?) had the entire storyline plotted, filming the series like a massive movie seen an hour per week. Compare this to Star Trek, where the creators laid out the locale` and basic "cans and can'ts" then threw the package to the writers who created episodes which were not necessarily connected to one another. I admit my indoctrination to B5 was a bit rocky, but after maybe 3 or 4 episodes I was completely hooked.

My biggest complaint with B5 isn't the show; it was the decision to move the final season to TNT. I was never able to watch the final season, mainly because TNT couldn't decide what time and day to run it and I ended up missing them all. Prior to that, B5 was always on at the same time and the same channel. TNT ran the final season in such a slapdash and haphazard way it was impossible to keep up.

Once I finish collecting the last few seasons of MASH, I think I'm going to start on B5.

Question:
What's everyone's favorite alien species from B5?
Mine is the Narn.

B5 Trivia: Although STTNG and B5 had similar budgets, B5 was always able to place a great many extras in many of their scenes because where a lot of TNG's budget went to models and the like for space shots - leaving not too much for placing extras in whatever scenes might be needed, B5's space shots and compositing were all done on a couple of Mac computers which left a great deal of $ for makeup FX and costuming of extras.

http://www.geocities.com/area51/8862/sqpics/ivanova.gif

Ivanova, what's not to like?

I watched it pretty consistently thorugh the first two seasons but stopped after the shadow spacecraft had turned up and starting causing trouble. I really liked where it was going but I didn't watch it for a long time (2nd child born) and started again towards the end of season 4. At which point I had no clue what was going on and I stopped altogether. I've always figured I would go back & start from the beginning.

I was able to watch the first four seasons when it was on broadcast TV. I didn't get to see the last season when it moved to cable, and from what I understand, that last season truly sucked. So I guess I didn't lose out after all.

My bottom line assessment was that B5 was simply excellent science-fiction television... and it blew away the crappy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that was competing with it at the time. I really wish someone would show the series again over the air, now that DTV is coming in. If they can show the original Star Trek episodes, they can do B5.

I can dream, anyway...

Tom

I have been going over the quotes from the show. It was one of the best Sci-fi shows on TV. I was lucky enough to have a couple friends that watched the show at work and it always made great conversation. Between Lando and G'Kar they went thru some of the most amazing changes in character development.


Lorien: We've lived too long, seen too much. To live on, as we have, is to leave behind joy, love, and companionship because we know it to be transitory; of the moment. We know it will turn to ash. Only those whose lives are brief can believe that love, is eternal.
[pause]
Lorien: You should embrace that remarkable illusion. It may be the greatest gift your race has ever received.

I was able to watch the first four seasons when it was on broadcast TV. I didn't get to see the last season when it moved to cable, and from what I understand, that last season truly sucked. So I guess I didn't lose out after all.

My bottom line assessment was that B5 was simply excellent science-fiction television... and it blew away the crappy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that was competing with it at the time. I really wish someone would show the series again over the air, now that DTV is coming in. If they can show the original Star Trek episodes, they can do B5.

I can dream, anyway...

Tom

As "messy" as the series got when the Shadows stepped in, the story never lost its focus. Definitely worth sticking with the series. I'll withhold judgment on the final season until I actually get to watch it, but the show (up to when I lost track of it) was exemplary.

Oh, and I really liked DS9 - at least the first 4 seasons - because it was totally different than TNG. I did watch the entire run up to the very last show, but it did get kinda wonky in later seasons. The transparent attempt to drag in old TNG fans and boost the sagging ratings by bringing poor Michael Dorn back and slapping the Klingon forehead on him was shameless, though.

My favorite characters besides Ivanova and Lyta Alexander was Michael Garibaldi. He had some of the best lines in the show.

I loved BB5 when it first started, but towards the end it began to seem like they didn't know what to do with the storyline, how to end it, how to continue it, or where they were going. It lost focus. But the first few seasons were great.