And So It Begins...

Twenty five years ago, a television show that changed the shape of US drama debuted with a feature length pilot episode. It is, however, largely forgotten and overlooked by the public at large. It’s goal was to prove that a novel for television could be done, with a beginning, a middle and an end, all plotted out at the very start. The name of the series? Babylon 5.

There are some stumbling blocks to getting on board as a new viewer. It was the first series to use exclusively CGI models and effects (there are no practical models at all) and that CGI, twenty five years on, has dated somewhat. It also has a lot of similar-ish looking alien races (although with a bit more variety than the standard Star Trek “different type of bumpy nose and forehead” school of alien design*) and the occasional funny accent which can be off-putting to some viewers. It also suffers from something that used to afflict a lot of US TV shows running 22 to 26 eps per season - First Season Syndrome. It takes a little while to find its feet and work out how it’s going to tell the story it wants to tell with the occasional filler ep to fill out the number needed for the season.

So given all that, is it worth bothering with? Biased answer but absolutely. The overall story and the journeys of the various characters (in particular the arc of Londo and G’Kar) are compelling, sweeping and epic. The impressive level of plotting - not just the main storyline itself but having trapdoors built in to shift the story around in case of actors leaving (some of which are used) - is an achievement in itself. It’s a good epic, cosmic story too. At around the halfway point of the first season, the epic scope becomes clearer. As you go into the second season, it’s becoming stronger and stronger. By the end of the second and beginning of the third, it’s a non-stop ride.

This was the first series to propose the idea of a five-year story arc. Without Babylon 5, you wouldn't have had Lost, Breaking Bad or Game Of Thrones (which, depending on your view of shows like that, is either a good or a bad thing). It proved that audiences had the attention span to follow threads unfolding over a period of years, not just week to week (there are elements form the pilot and first episode that pay off years down the round in Babylon 5), and that you could successfully transfer the novel format to the small screen (so you definitely wouldn't have Game Of Thrones without this).

If you’re looking for epic space opera with overtones of Lord Of The Rings (an acknowledged influence by creator J. Michael Straczynski) and can forgive some creaky early 90s CGI then this is definitely one you should seek out. (It’s been notably absent from any streaming media in the Uk so far but is currently available on Amazon Video.)

* This isn’t meant as a slight on Star Trek and this post isn’t about playing one franchise off against the other. I love Star Trek too (a lot of it, anyway) and there’s room enough for both. I’ve never really understood a need for a certain element of fandom to be busy trying to knock down other sci fi shows - during the 90s, there was precious little space opera around so give everyone a go!