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Why Babylon 5 Is Peak '90s Sci-Fi TV

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Ubiquitous

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Sep 11, 2018, 8:22:25 PM9/11/18
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No matter how you slice it, the 1990s was a Golden Age for science
fiction on television. Some of the most-acclaimed and popular shows of
the genre either began or ended their runs in the decade, like Stargate
SG-1, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The X-Files, but perhaps no
series more perfectly captured that ’90s sci-fi feel than Babylon 5.

Originally airing from 1993 until 1998, today Babylon 5 serves as an
awesome time capsule for that period in history. As CGI special effects
were becoming more affordable and widespread in the ’90s, Babylon 5
employed them a lot. And while it’s certainly tempting to call the
show’s effects “dated,” we think “charming” is a much more appropriate
descriptor. Replacing the old practical effects of classic shows like
The Twilight Zone with modern computer-generated imagery would
obviously make for a more realistic viewing experience, but it would
also cause the show would lose much of what makes it special. The same
is true for the CGI in Babylon 5. The effects aren’t the most realistic
the world’s ever seen, but they do a great job of reminding the viewer
of the time period in which they were shot. In other words, they’re
perfect.

And while special effects are an important part of any sci-fi
production, it’s the stories that really set the great series apart
from the rest. This is where Babylon 5 truly shines. While at first
glance the plot doesn’t seem too remarkable, as it centers around a
space station where dignitaries from Earth and other planets meet to
prevent any future outbreaks of war, it was actually pretty incredible.
The entire series was plotted out from the start, something that’s
basically never seen on a television show, and was conceived as a
“novel for television” that would take place across five years. This
was a huge gamble, but it paid off, as the series lasted for exactly
five seasons, with each one taking place over the course of one year,
just as series creator J. Michael Straczynski — who wrote all but 18 of
the series’ 110 episodes — intended.

https://youtu.be/l3C_tTlhgm8

The serialized nature of the show was far ahead of its time, as effects
from events that happened in season one could still felt even in season
five. This type of attention to detail is seen a lot today in so-called
prestige TV, but it was basically unheard of when Babylon 5 premiered,
and the show deserves a ton of credit for leading to its proliferation
in the late ’90s and beyond. The series also, like all good sci-fi,
tackled the major issues of its day. Just as Star Trek: The Original
Series dealt with themes at the forefront of 1960s culture such as
racism and the Cold War, so did Babylon 5 when it came to ’90s social
issues like homosexuality and drug addiction, and it handled them with
exceptional grace.

Babylon 5 isn’t talked about nearly enough when discussing science-
fiction series of the ’90s, and that’s a shame, as it’s undoubtedly one
of the best series put out in that or any other decade. And if it’s
been a while since you’ve seen the series, or if you’ve never seen it,
then we have some good news. This fall, Babylon 5 is coming to COMET
TV. Already the home of classic ’90s sci-fi series like SG-1 and The
Outer Limits, COMET TV will be the perfect place to refamiliarize
yourself with the ’90s greatness that is Babylon 5, so stay tuned for
more info on when you can start watching this outstanding televised
novel.

--
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boys buggered and the infidels are killed.

Your Name

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Sep 11, 2018, 9:59:19 PM9/11/18
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On 2018-09-11 09:03:00 +0000, Ubiquitous said:
>
> Why Babylon 5 Is Peak '90s Sci-Fi TV

That's an extremely low "peak" ... Babblealong 5 is one of the worst
sci-fi shows ever made.

Dimensional Traveler

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Sep 11, 2018, 10:03:29 PM9/11/18
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If B5 wasn't to your taste, that's fine, but it is FAR from one of the
worst SF shows ever made.

--
Inquiring minds want to know while minds with a self-preservation
instinct are running screaming.

Your Name

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Sep 12, 2018, 2:43:14 AM9/12/18
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On 2018-09-12 02:03:33 +0000, Dimensional Traveler said:
> On 9/11/2018 6:59 PM, Your Name wrote:
>> On 2018-09-11 09:03:00 +0000, Ubiquitous said:
>>>
>>> Why Babylon 5 Is Peak '90s Sci-Fi TV
>>
>> That's an extremely low "peak" ... Babblealong 5 is one of the worst
>> sci-fi shows ever made.
>
> If B5 wasn't to your taste, that's fine, but it is FAR from one of the
> worst SF shows ever made.

I don't personally know anyone who liked it .. .except my brother, but
then he's a proven idiot. :-p

Babblealong 5 was tidious and pretentious. It was full of long-winded
speeches and boring silent / ballet music space battles. It was simply
trying to be too clever and failed.

There are of course fans of the show (hell, there's always someone
who'll like any garbage), but they're very much a niche group compared
to the likes of Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, etc., so the show is
far from being the "peak '90s sci-fi TV".

David Johnston

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Sep 12, 2018, 3:02:57 AM9/12/18
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There is no way I can think for a moment that Babylon 5 deserves a place
in the pantheon alongside The Starlost, the Flash Gordon TV series,
Galactica 1980, Prey, Manimal and Tekwar.

David Johnston

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Sep 12, 2018, 3:04:32 AM9/12/18
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Of course if you went with "most over-rated"...well an argument could be
made.

FPP

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Sep 12, 2018, 3:23:59 AM9/12/18
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B5 was WAY ahead of the curve.

B5 was the first use of extensive CGI work.
It was one of the few shows to establish a single 5 year story.
It was filmed in widescreen before widescreen was available in the US.
The creator had a multi year one-on-one dialogue with the Sci-Fi
community via social media.

In short, there was nothing like it at the time, and a lot of what B5
did became mainstream practice. Other shows *followed* B5's example -
B5 didn't follow theirs.
--
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was
their final, most essential command." - George Orwell, 1949
"Just remember: what you’re seeing, and what you're reading is not
what’s happening." - Donald J. Trump, 2018

Ubiquitous

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Sep 12, 2018, 5:04:34 AM9/12/18
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In article <pnaci0$1gs0$1...@gioia.aioe.org>, Your...@YourISP.com wrote:

>Babblealong 5 was tidious and pretentious. It was full of long-winded
>speeches and boring silent / ballet music space battles. It was simply
>trying to be too clever and failed.
>
>There are of course fans of the show (hell, there's always someone
>who'll like any garbage), but they're very much a niche group compared
>to the likes of Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, etc., so the show is
>far from being the "peak '90s sci-fi TV".


TROLL-O-METER

5* 6* *7
4* *8
3* *9
2* *10
1* | *stuporous
0* -*- *catatonic
* |\ *comatose
* \ *clinical death
* \ *biological death
* _\/ *demonic apparition
* * *damned for all eternity

anim8rfsk

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Sep 12, 2018, 9:27:04 AM9/12/18
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Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:02:56 -0700 David Johnston<davidjo...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
The 100, The Last Ship, Under the Dumb

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David Johnston

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Sep 12, 2018, 2:07:59 PM9/12/18
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On 2018-09-12 7:27 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:02:56 -0700 David Johnston<davidjo...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 2018-09-11 7:59 PM, Your Name wrote:
>>> On 2018-09-11 09:03:00 +0000, Ubiquitous said:
>>>>
>>>> Why Babylon 5 Is Peak '90s Sci-Fi TV
>>>
>>> That's an extremely low "peak" ... Babblealong 5 is one of the worst
>>> sci-fi shows ever made.
>>
>> There is no way I can think for a moment that Babylon 5 deserves a place
>> in the pantheon alongside The Starlost, the Flash Gordon TV series,
>> Galactica 1980, Prey, Manimal and Tekwar.
>
> The 100, The Last Ship, Under the Dumb
>

Worthy additions.

Your Name

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Sep 12, 2018, 5:36:57 PM9/12/18
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None of which actually makes it any good nor made it widely popular. As
a show, it simply wasn't the "peak" of anything at all. It was just a
niche show with a small devoted fanbase.



FPP

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Sep 12, 2018, 6:10:26 PM9/12/18
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Which we're still talking about 20 years after it ended.

Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha

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Sep 12, 2018, 6:36:45 PM9/12/18
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FPP <fred...@gmail.com> wrote in news:pnc2sh$adc$3...@dont-email.me:
We're still talking about a lot of other shows, ranging from those
that defined good television to those that sucked throbbing purple
donkey dick. Your statment is meaningless. And stupid.

When people talking about a show are saying "it was crap," that's
not an indication that it was good.

--
Terry Austin

Vacation photos from Iceland:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QaXQkB

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek

Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

Your Name

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Sep 12, 2018, 9:01:25 PM9/12/18
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Again, that doesn't actually make it any good nor the "peak" of
anything at all. People are still talking about shows that are much
older than 20 years ... hell, Hollyweird silly resurrection / reboot
fad is bringing back shows much older than 20 years.

All it really shows is that some journalist was stuck for something to
write about.


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