Summer TV Rewatch: Babylon 5

Ten years ago, watching TV shows on DVD was a new idea. Netflix wasn’t a thing, and TiVo was just beginning to become a household name. So when I brought home a DVD set of a 90s sci-fi show titled Babylon 5, my dad wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

I had bought it because the series’ creator, J. Michael Straczynski, was writing two of the best graphic novel arcs I had ever read: Rising Stars and The Amazing Spider-man. When I realized he had his own TV show that was new on DVD, I rushed out, paid my $80, and got the DVDs.

We started watching it, loved it, and burned through the seasons more quickly than they were being released. When we had watched all five seasons, the movies, and the spinoff series Crusade, we wanted more–but there was no more.

We moved on to different shows, and over the course of the next ten years, my dad and I finished a lot of SF series on DVD together. Babylon 5 will always have a spot in my heart for beginning that tradition, especially now that my dad is gone.

So this summer, I decided to work my way through Babylon 5 again. I can’t go visit my dad and watch our shows together, and I can’t quite bring myself to finish Star Trek: Deep Space Nine–the series we were watching together when he passed away. So watching Babylon 5 all over again is a good compromise.

Babylon 5 is definitely 90s sci-fi, but the narrative is phenomenal, the characters are sympathetic, and the writing is better than the series’ contemporaries.

At least, that’s how I remember it.

I’ll be blogging about the series over the summer, and while I’m not suggesting a full-on blogging group watch, I do hope you’ll join me as I rewatch Babylon 5. If you’re interested in contributing a post, feel free to contact me by email or on Twitter.

By B.J. Keeton

B.J. KEETON is a writer, teacher, and runner. When he isn't trying to think of a way to trick Fox into putting Firefly back on the air, he is either writing science fiction, watching an obscene amount of genre television, or looking for new ways to integrate fitness into his geektastic lifestyle. He is also the author of BIRTHRIGHT and co-author of NIMBUS. Both books are available for Amazon Kindle.

5 comments

  1. I’ve always meant to watch Babylon 5. Hopefully, when you rewatch it, it brings back some good memories. Maybe I’ll join you and watch it over the summer.

  2. Could you do a post describing the premise and basic attractions of the show? I liked a lot of 90s sci-fi but never actually got around to watching Babylon 5. I’d be interested in hearing more about the show in general.

    1. I don’t see why not. I’ll see what I can get written up soon. I’m awfully busy this upcoming week at work, but I’ll get my ideas on paper and hopefully posted the following week. 🙂

  3. What a wonderful science fiction T.V. series. Well above the rest at the time and still holds it’s excellent quality today. Up there in my top 10 S.F. series of all time. The writing is excellent. The cast of different alien species and their interactions between each other is very interesting. Worth watching again and again. Would be great if Straczynski did another series like this but in another universe. Or what about the supposed ancient aliens interacting with the earth in the past, through to the current grey alien interactions up to now on earth.

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