Babylon 5 : Season 1 [DVD] [1994]

The first series sets the foundations that are developed in greater depth in the following seasons; effectively it is the start of the story. The backgrounds behind the alien races, the boundaries of the universe, the extent of the technological advances, are all defined here, with a beautifully crafted look into the unknown. Initially, the first season has episodes that can be watched individually, or out of sequence. Such episodes give insight into the main characters, universe rules, and alien history. However, towards the later portion of the series, as the story unveils, sequence and story continuity become more apparent, with some excellent episodes leaving the viewer with questions that need answering.

Unlike the early Star Trek series, matters are not always entirely resolved at the end of each episode, and the writer is not afraid to shock his audience with unnerving revelations. The good guy does not always win, the end result is not always a happy one, and some successes come with too high a price. Just as Star Wars made a dramatic impact on the world of Sci-Fi movies, Babylon 5 has changed the tempo for Sci-Fi TV. This influence is evident in some of the later productions in the Star Trek universe, as they shifted from episode based stories, to story based episodes.

Babylon 5 is certainly the thinking persons science fiction TV, less concerned with technological solutions to problems, and more concerned with their implications. It's realistic vision of the future include; rotating sections on spacecraft to provide gravity, weapons interceptors as opposed to shields, retros for 3D navigation where 'attack pattern delta' may not suffice, and the inability to simply 'beam someone up' when in trouble.

In the debate over who copied from who, between Star Trek: DS9 and Babylon 5, the draft for Babylon 5, written by the author in 1986, was initially submitted to Paramount in 1989 before it was rejected and taken on board by Warner Brothers in 1991. Before Babylon 5 hit the screens, Paramount released a new Star Trek saga involving a space station orbiting a planet, near a portal to unknown space, where the commander has a date with destiny involving an unknown alien species intent on taking over the universe. Sounds familiar.

A story about love, belief, identity and their consequences.

To see it it to love it. "For what is loved, endures. What is built, endures. And Babylon 5 - Babylon 5... Endures"

I was unfortunate enough to miss the start of Babylon 5 the first time it aired here in the UK, and found myself catching the odd episode or two when there was nothing else on the TV. I actually got into watching it properly at the start of Season 3 and have been completely hooked ever since.

In my opinion, the best bit about Babylon 5 is the plot. That may sound obvious, but when you realise that B5 is structured more like a novel than your standard TV series you start to appreciate how fine it really is. Having gone back and watched Babylon 5 from the beginning several times, I can tell you that StarTrek and the like will seem seriously lacking by comparison once you've sampled the delights of B5.

A lot of people will tell you that this first series is full of standalone episodes that don't contribute to the overall arc of the story. This generally comes from those who saw the first series and subsequently missed the big payoffs later on, so believe me when I tell you that *everything* - in this and other seasons - you see has some relevance to the overall story! You just won't forgive yourself if you don't start from the beginning.

That's not to say that Signs & Portents is the best season out of the lot. Of the entire 5, it probably falls joint 4th in my favourites list, along with Season 5, but it is still top notch SF and well worth the money and time spent watching it. This first season sets up so much of the story arc that you really do lose a lot if you miss it out in favour of the more exciting Season 2, and there are some cracking episodes in here that you'd be mad to miss!

Overall this 1st season gets a HUGE 5/5 from me, and I for one can't wait to get my shiny box-set in the post! Roll on Season 2!