Man, I really like Babylon 5. I
started watching it about a month ago, having missed its initial run on
television in the mid-nineties. It’s
strange that I didn’t watch it, because I’ve been a space dork for as long as I
can remember. Really, I have no idea why I never watched it. I remember seeing Babylon 5 mods for various space games, like Freelancer, but I never ended up getting
into the show. I have memories of
watching a good bit of Deep Space 9
and Seaquest DSV during that time, so
why I never sat down with Babylon, I’ll never know. Maybe I was just too into Star Wars at the
time.
Although, I’ve also never seen the Stargate show, despite
loving the movie and even having read one of the novels, so maybe I just suck
at pursuing the things I’ll end up loving.
But, I don’t think I’ll ever watch Stargate SGanything.
Anyway, Babylon 5.
It’s great. One of the things
that made me decide to stop screwing around and start watching the bloody thing
was reading that it was written with a three act structure in mind, with the
full narrative being told over five seasons.
That’s what first interested me.
Watching the first episode, confident in the knowledge that even then,
the writer knew where it would all end was very comforting. It’s nice to trust the storytelling of a
show. Plus, J. Michael Straczynski wrote
90% of the episodes, including all of season three. That goes a long way toward instilling trust
that the characters will be true and honest to themselves. Sometimes, with no clear thruline and
writers’ rooms, characters can get muddled and exaggerated, or even contrary to
their original presentation. See Taco in
The League and Kevin from The Office as examples.
Yeah, sure, it’s dated in the visual effects and art
direction, but I’ve never had a problem watching old movies and television
shows. It’s easy for me, for the most
part, to appreciate a piece of work through the time during which it was
created. Shows like Seinfeld, The X-Files,
and Home Improvement are very much
rooted in the 90s, but I still love them and can watch them anytime. There’s no way that Blazing Saddles wasn’t made in the 70s and I die laughing every
time. I’ve never really bought into the
idea that entertainment doesn’t age well.
Some things may look corny now, but the overall enjoyment can still
remain. The same with books. Just because a book was written hundreds of
years ago, doesn’t mean it isn’t still just as good now as it ever was.
Babylon
was really one of the first shows to eschew models and miniatures and really
embrace the nascent CG technology. It
looks very clumsy by today’s standards, especially alongside shows like The Expanse, but there’s a charm to
it. The low rez textures remind me
personally of the videogames I loved during the era, like Wing Commander and
Final Fantasy. There’s a joy and exuberance to it, as if, there’s this
wonderful new technology, so let’s use it!
Another aspect that it carries with it is that because it
was made during the 90s, there is a real feeling of hope. The future of Babylon 5 is not the dystopian apocalypse of
the 80s or the 2010s. The future is
bright, with fantastic technology supporting massive space stations and
spacecraft, and exotic aliens populating the galaxy. There is war, and tensions exist on the space
station, but it is by no means dreary, oppressive, or bleak. It’s not utopia, but neither is it a
nightmare of wretchedness. It feels all
very pre-9/11. In this universe, the
future is something to look forward to.
I like it. Plus,
Garibaldi totally looks like a low-rent Bruce Willis, and I love it.
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