Definitely. It was a groundbreaking show with some of the best character development and plot arcs on television, including everything that has come after. Incredible performances, deep lore, and fantastic writing.

You’ll have to get past the dated effects and synth soundtrack, but that’s easy after a few episodes. If you like sci-fi, you’ll love Babylon 5.

If you like sci-fi political drama mixed with action and intrigue, yes.

Otherwise, yes.

Yes.

It’s the first TV show with actual character arcs - planned out from the start

Offhand remarks from S1 will realise into actual actions in S4

It's good and an easy watch, only 5 seasons. SURE you can watch all the movies too and maybe the spin off series but in all honestly you can probably skip the spin off.

The first season can be a struggle to get through for many people but you kinda have to watch it as everything ties together. and there's a major plot point you won't understand or appreciate in the last couple seasons unless you watch season 1. But once the Shadow War kicks off man that show hits its stride, starts running, and just doesn't stop until the very last episode.

The space combat is probably the absolute best. The best part in that series is seeing jump gates open at JUST the right time and wondering whose coming out of them.

The CGI is of course dated at this point, especially the space battle stuff. Characters are largely practical though, so they look fine still.

Otherwise IMO the first season starts a little slow and there's a ton exposition heavy stuff early to introduce the world. It does pick up soon though and it avoids the returning to status quo after episode quite well. Pretty much every episode moves some of the bigger background plots forward

Me watching the first episode: Wow, the budget for these episodes is someone’s lunch money.

Me watching the last episode: 🫡😭

B5 is a more honest tale (feels handmade and passionate), that you might not appreciate if you need high production values to keep interested.

B5 is less accessible, and sometimes you need to be paying attention. DS9 is better at spoon feeding you and making sure you have what you need. B5 is trying to tell the B5 story. DS9 is trying to expand its region of Star Trek story telling, and occasionally wanders into expert episodes of single story high sci-fi. B5 is a different kind of epic (more like a Space Opera)

They both do great things but some people want the backing and polish of a Star Trek univese, which can make DS9 feel more like home, whilst also preventing it from feeling alien. B5 feels more alien and like there's something unknown going on, as scifi maybe should?

You need the 4:3 4k rescan version, it’s so unbelievably crispy and correct.

While I'm a DS9 fan Babylon 5 is not a TV show its a Novel and D&D campaign that took the form of a TV show. The amount of forethought he took was amazing.

Just like DS9 takes 3 seasons to find its footing, B5 takes almost the whole first season. But then the rewards are so, so good...

It will either change your world, or help you accept that you are really a simple person at heart.

Tried watching the first episode a couple of times but it didn't really capture my interest. Plus somehow the video quality managed to be even worse than DS9.

People love it and all respect to them. I could never get into it. Back in the day, serialized storytelling on TV was often harder to break into because you didn’t just sit down and steam whole series in order. You had to watch whatever was on the air and whenever Babylon 5 came on I’d check it out, be totally lost on what was happening, get sick of all the talking, and change the channel.

B5 from the getgo had the whole mythic arc written out. Ds9 had to play the trek serialisation until B&B were distracted enough for ISB to go ham

Same here, but B5 will always be my number one.

it's interesting the ways they got more similar as they went on, too. there's one particular plot point that B5 does later on, after realizing they had accidentally been foreshadowing it, that comes from the pilot of DS9. i'm not saying they copied it but they couldn't exactly unwatch it either. the suits at Paramount definitely fucked over JMS when they stole the basic premise, but once both shows were on the air i think they both benefitted from the unintentional dialogue between them

and fun fact: Lyta's actress was also an extra and stunt double on DS9. reportedly she got a lot of complements on B5 in very hushed tones on the Paramount lot

DS9 was actually already in very early pre-production when JMS made his pitch. They also spent some time during his pitch trying to convince him to do it as a Trek show, which, in hindsight, was obviously an attempt to get him on their similar project. Then everyone who knew about the pitch got really hands-off with DS9's development.

So good.

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=fpas&q=star+wreck%3A+in+the+pirkinning

Babylon 5s pay off comes in season 3 and 4. There are some great episodes at the end of season 1 and season 2. But S3 and S4 are the best television I’ve seen. It’s hard to imagine but still the case.

Babylon five felt cheaper in every way for me. DS9 ftw.