Arantor
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For anyone who has an interest in sci-fi, I can suggest no better series than Babylon 5.
www.imdb.com
From the intro:
Airing a year before Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the show tells the tale of the space station of the same name, at the centre of the relations between several key races - the humans, the Minbari, the Narn and the Centauri - as well as the various 'non aligned worlds', and the struggles they have over time.
What makes this show I think unique - even now - is that unlike other shows, it wasn't written on a series by series basis, it was written and planned out as a 5 year arc, although when they weren't sure they were getting the fifth season, they crammed years 3-5 of the arc into seasons 3-4. But still, in an era then of syndicated shows where even watching in order was relatively uncommon, to have a 5 year plan was unheard of.
What that does mean, though, is that season one moves slowly. Basically, season one is just the pieces moving onto the board, setting the stage for what comes next - but it's meticulous. The whole thing is basically written by one guy, who not only had the concept, wrote many of the episodes (I think he actually wrote an entire season solo), and it really works as a stand-out piece of sci-fi.
The only sad detail, really, is the CGI which was ground-breaking for its time (and largely done on Amigas!) but dated really quite poorly compared to, say, the model work done in DS9, though it does give the show a fluidity and sense of scale and motion that DS9 never manages *because* of its models.
Personally I recommend seasons 1-4, I find it compelling viewing, even if season 1 is a little sketchy at times where it's setting up the pieces and is a little dry as a result. I also think that, honestly, it's a more imaginative show than DS9 - DS9 for all its writing (and it's also worth the watch) is rooted in the rest of Trek lore, anchored by Star Trek TNG amongst other things, in a way that Babylon 5 simply isn't.
I know a reboot is in the works, helmed by the same original guy, but I don't know how it's doing. The guy, J. Michael Straczynski has been responsible for some ground-breaking writing in his projects, from The Real Ghostbusters in the 1980s, to Babylon 5 in the 1990s, through Netflix's Sense8 with the Wachowskis. The fact he's writing it leaves me to believe it'll be solid in its writing, but we'll see if and when it materialises.
Babylon 5 (TV Series 1993–1998) - IMDb
Babylon 5: Created by J. Michael Straczynski. With Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas. In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over...
www.imdb.com
From the intro:
Airing a year before Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the show tells the tale of the space station of the same name, at the centre of the relations between several key races - the humans, the Minbari, the Narn and the Centauri - as well as the various 'non aligned worlds', and the struggles they have over time.
What makes this show I think unique - even now - is that unlike other shows, it wasn't written on a series by series basis, it was written and planned out as a 5 year arc, although when they weren't sure they were getting the fifth season, they crammed years 3-5 of the arc into seasons 3-4. But still, in an era then of syndicated shows where even watching in order was relatively uncommon, to have a 5 year plan was unheard of.
What that does mean, though, is that season one moves slowly. Basically, season one is just the pieces moving onto the board, setting the stage for what comes next - but it's meticulous. The whole thing is basically written by one guy, who not only had the concept, wrote many of the episodes (I think he actually wrote an entire season solo), and it really works as a stand-out piece of sci-fi.
The only sad detail, really, is the CGI which was ground-breaking for its time (and largely done on Amigas!) but dated really quite poorly compared to, say, the model work done in DS9, though it does give the show a fluidity and sense of scale and motion that DS9 never manages *because* of its models.
Personally I recommend seasons 1-4, I find it compelling viewing, even if season 1 is a little sketchy at times where it's setting up the pieces and is a little dry as a result. I also think that, honestly, it's a more imaginative show than DS9 - DS9 for all its writing (and it's also worth the watch) is rooted in the rest of Trek lore, anchored by Star Trek TNG amongst other things, in a way that Babylon 5 simply isn't.
I know a reboot is in the works, helmed by the same original guy, but I don't know how it's doing. The guy, J. Michael Straczynski has been responsible for some ground-breaking writing in his projects, from The Real Ghostbusters in the 1980s, to Babylon 5 in the 1990s, through Netflix's Sense8 with the Wachowskis. The fact he's writing it leaves me to believe it'll be solid in its writing, but we'll see if and when it materialises.
