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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Ben on May 27, 2018, 11:03:05 AM

Title: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: Ben on May 27, 2018, 11:03:05 AM
I think the question on if Babylon 5 streams anywhere came up a couple of times not too long ago. I just saw that seasons 1-5 will be streaming on Amazon Prime starting 01JUN. So FYI. :)
Title: Re: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on May 27, 2018, 02:18:45 PM
They've also added Carrier, which I am very happily watching this weekend. I caught most of it when it aired on PBS, but it's nice to finally see the whole thing.
Title: Re: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: KD5NRH on May 27, 2018, 05:38:55 PM
I think the question on if Babylon 5 streams anywhere came up a couple of times not too long ago. I just saw that seasons 1-5 will be streaming on Amazon Prime starting 01JUN. So FYI. :)

Unfortunately, the original cast members have aged and/or died since, but I'd still like to see someone pick up the rights and make a live action multi-series to flesh out the lead-up that In The Beginning still didn't have time for, fill in the gaps in the TV series, particularly one paralleling season two and beyond, following Sinclair (briefly) to Earth and then to Minbar, with episodes covering mini-arcs like Catherine Sakai's survey mission at the Rim and return to B5 then Minbar, ultimately being a lead up to Legend of the Rangers.  Maybe saving 1-2 episodes at the end to tie up loose ends from the huge gap between Objects at Rest (which created some loose ends of its own) and Sleeping in Light.  (Which really failed to tie up much at all.)  There were also more than a dozen written-but-never-filmed episode scripts, including at least a couple by Harlan Ellison that could be done as a part of a project like that.

Ultimately, there was a lot of stuff in the novels and the In Valen's Name comic that amounted to some stunning conclusions to various sub-arcs touched on in the TV series and movies, and putting it on screen in an interspersed set of episodes (and keeping true to the original look and feel, so watching it all in story order wouldn't be the mess that Star Wars and others have become) would make the entire body of video into one hell of a complex, comprehensive stack of DVDs.
Title: Re: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: Jim147 on May 27, 2018, 08:11:58 PM
Yessss
Title: Re: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: HankB on May 27, 2018, 08:25:08 PM
On average, the writing in B5 was so much better than Star Trek it was stunning . . . can you imagine Star Trek having anything like Vir's final encounter with Mr. Morden, especially since it was set up quite a few episodes in advance?  =D
Title: Re: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: Ben on May 27, 2018, 08:35:58 PM
On average, the writing in B5 was so much better than Star Trek it was stunning . . . can you imagine Star Trek having anything like Vir's final encounter with Mr. Morden, especially since it was set up quite a few episodes in advance?  =D

I actually really liked the original Star Trek. But to your point, coincidentally I was bored the other night and ran across ST The Next Generation on Netflix. While the series did have some good episodes, the samples  I rewatched (after some years) were a prime example of the generally socialist propaganda Star Trek became. The couple of episodes  I watched had me wanting to reach out and slap pompous Picard across the face. He got on my nerves way more than I remember when the series first aired.

B5 was overall much, much better than STTNG. In fact they stole the idea for Deep Space Nine from B5. I recall there were some interviews regarding that. I cared way more about B5 characters than I ever cared about STTNG characters. I especially liked G'Kar after his "Vorlon awakening". I really wish B5 hadn't been screwed so badly by the networks. As good as it was,  I bet it would have been even better if they didn't have to do the "season 4 looks like it" thing. If they could have written for a guaranteed five year story arc (and didn't have to lose the original Sinclair arc) it would have been amazing.

https://youtu.be/DeNBJ5o-b7s?list=PLzUwdMSZr2iaHdMHnN_pC76O7QrAedr-I
Title: Re: Babylon 5 on Amazon Streaming
Post by: Mannlicher on May 28, 2018, 03:23:29 PM
the actor,  Patrick Stewart, who played Capt. Picard is notoriously anti American,  and a huge socialism supporter.

as far as Babylon 5 goes, it was a decent series,  not just not a favorite.  I'll watch, just because there is nothing else on from that genre these days.