Like G'Kar's 'offer' to Lyta :D

Can't believe I forgot The Lost Tales, thanks for reminding me.

So I just started watching the show again, and what struck me was how disappointing I found the pilot 'The Gathering'. I don't know, there was just something I didn't like about it - I was kind of wondering if nostalgia made the show appear better to me than it was - but as soon as I started watching the regular episodes that feeling vanished and I'm having a good time with it. So yeah, the pilot just seems a bit off to me (not to mention character swaps and better wardrobe for the actual show).

The pilot, The Gathering, was rushed and a few cast members changed when the series really started.

B5 kicked ass, pure and simple. It was such a refreshing breath of fresh air in a TV sci-fi landscape that had the life choked out of it by Star Trek. While DS9 had its moments (e.g. "In The Pale Moonlight") the characterization and plot development was nothing compared to what I saw in B5. I still use B5 as a yardstick to gauge just how much of a fan my friends are of sci-fi.

It's just criminal, what happened to Crusade, especially when it had so many interesting ideas and plot threads to explore. (Hey, did they ever reveal what was in the captain's box?)

It also has, bar none, the most amazing build up and resolution of a science fiction civil war ever put to screen. The only thing that beats it is Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. It also has some ship battles that'd put the new Battlestar Galactica to shame.

The only bad thing is, there are an awful lot of plot points that come across like daytime soap opera. Even some of the really big stuff.

A bit off-topic here, but I do own Babylon 5 (none of the movies etc. though, just seasons 1 - 5). I enjoyed Babylon 5 thanks to the story, which I thought was great. The characterisation was also good. On the acting front though, I didn't think too much of it though, but it's been quite a while since I watched it. Still, I enjoyed it.

However, I wanted that if people are looking for a new sci-fi, I felt the remake of Battlestar Galactica was the complete package. Good acting, good story etc.

And oh yeah, the build up to the civil war was good in Babylon 5. When it comes to the Shadows though, I felt it could have had a few bigger battles against them. It was just like onw huge battle when it was resolved. In any case, still a great battle and show.

Well, the Shadow war would have been longer, according to JMS' original plan. However, he was told to basically wrap up the entire series in Season 4, because there would not be a 5th season (at least it seemed that way at the time). And so the Shadow War got the short end of the stick, so to speak.

Also, the Shadows had always been depicted (at least since the great Vorlon/Minbari-Shadow war) to be "Eminence Gris" - or "power behind the throne" and directing events from afar, rather than direct involvement. Touched on by the use of Ambassador Mollari's "Advisor" in the last season, and Sheridan's mysteriously returned wife, and Morden as their agents to "divide and conquer" the growing alliance.

Hey all. I bought the complete Babylon 5 boxset (all series, movies, Lost Tales, Crusade) a few years ago and loved it. However, I was aware of chronology issues so did some research before watching them and I put together a spreadsheet listing them by episode (yes, even individual episodes within a series aren't quite right by broadcast order).

So, download the attached file and rename it to .xls to be able to open it. (I wish GOG would let us post non-image files).

Amazon was selling Seasons 3 and 4 at 15.99 apiece. So I went ahead and ordered them yesterday.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Babylon-Complete-Collection-Lost-Tales/dp/B000WDSRG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307988206&sr=8-1

The complete B5, £55.47, from Amazon UK.