Snowflake Challenge #2

[imhilien]

Challenge: In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom.


Well, it's the 30th anniversary (eep!) of sci-fi TV series Babylon 5, which I'm a fan of. It's been called 'Lord of the Rings in Space' about a space station built in neutral territory so different alien races can work out their differences without things developing into galactic war (again). It's the show I always measure others against and sometimes they get there (The Expanse).

Many characters are flawed but try and do the right thing anyway. Even when I rewatch the show, some episodes will still have me on the edge of my seat. I'm on Tumblr and the #babylon 5 section has been more active in recent years, probably due to the show being on HBO Max, although I hear that's going to cease soon on that TV network.

I live in New Zealand and in ancient days of old we had to wait a year to catch up with America's episode screenings. My friends group got around this by having an American friend tape episodes on VHS and send them to us by actual mail. Then we had binge-watching sessions (and once annoyed the neighbours, but in our defense, we were watching Season 4).

That's certainly how much the show meant to us.

Comments

[misbegotten]

It's so much fun when an old(ish) show gets a new lease on life with fans! I'd certainly be interested to hear more about your comparison with The Expanse, too. Thanks for sharing!

[imhilien]

Thanks for that. Yes, it's fun seeing which characters newbies latch on to as their favourites. :D

[muccamukk]

It's hard to imagine watching sf now without seeing it through the lens of B5. Like it's ruined so many shows for me, lol.

[imhilien]

Yes, comparing shows to B5 has its downside when so many shows fail to compete (from my POV).

[colls]

I re-watched B5 not too long ago (courtesy of HBO Max) and it really held up. Such good storytelling!

[imhilien]

That's great. :)

[rekishi]

oh, I haven't thought of B5 in awhile, hmmm....

[shipperslist]

This is one of my all-time favorite shows that not only fed my sci-fi loving mind but also my...other tendencies. *side-eyes G'Kar*

Anyhoo! I'm halfway through S4 of my rewatch and I really should get back to it.

[imhilien]

It's a great show, isn't it. :)

[silveradept]

About the only thing that didn't fully hold up over time are the effects, and that's not a thing that anyone could be faulted for. B5 was such a good series, and I wish we were in the universe where it didn't have to rush to the end at the end of S4.

[imhilien]

B5 did its best with the effects at the time. Certainly the Shadow ships looked far too convincing in some scenes. D:

I've heard that if it wasn't for studio interference, some of S4 would have been in S5 instead.

[silveradept]

Yes. There's a lot that fits perfectly fine for the show and the time, and the scream of the Shadow ship is still scary.

I heard the same, that the telepath storyline was showing that had to be stretched to fill what had been shuffled into S4 when they didn't know there would be an S5.

[elwinfortuna]

I spent my honeymoon, nearly twenty years ago now, watching Babylon 5 for the first time (in between other things lol), and it's just so wonderful, such a great show. Lord of the Rings in space is about right, I love that there's even an Ancient Power called Lorien, as if he were the last of the Valar still hanging about.

We watched it again about ten years ago, so I think it might be time for my husband and I to watch it for a third time.

[imhilien]

It's a good show to rewatch. :)