Babylon 5 [VHS]

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Babylon 5 [VHS] Review

Babylon Five (B5) was Science Fiction for adults---no small kids or cute robots in this show---and was a five-year novel for television about political change, which emphasized the choices individuals in difficult situations must make; the consequences of those decisions; and the ensuing responsibility and accountability that follow. It is also very much a show about war: the causes of war, the lead-up to war; the conduct of war; and the immediate and long-term aftermath of warfare.

Babylon 5 is a fictional space station that is gargantuan in size (five miles long), located in neutral space in another solar system, that houses 250,000 occupants, both human and alien. Built by the Earth government and funded by both human and alien governments, it is a combination "United Nations" in space, and free trading port, designed to be a vehicle for facilitating improved human-alien understanding and relations; instead of the last best hope for peace, it becomes an historical nexus, a focal point for conflict and change. The pilot show was set in the year 2257, and the five-year arc takes place from 2258-2262.

The series features real adults managing adult problems, highlighting how we humans (both now and in the future) deal with everything from peaceful political change, assassination, official lies, conspiracies, class and racial conflict, religious themes (prophecy, and religious diversity, in particular), personal loss, substance abuse, and unrequited love---with frequent and welcome humorous diversions. The major character arcs were well-planned. Like a novel, this show had an introduction (season 1), rising action (season 2), complication and heightened conflict (season 3), a climax (season 4), and a well-defined resolution (season 5).

Its creator, Executive Producer, and principal writer, J. Michael Straczynski, grew up a true Science Fiction fan, nurtured on the best that SF had to offer: Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy and E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. Straczynski proudly admits that B5 was intended to be, and is, "Space Opera," in the very best sense of the word. The scale is BIG---encompassing the entire Milky Way galaxy, the rise and fall of empires, controlled evolution, and a timespan of literally billions of years. (The influence of both Asimov and Smith here is evident.) As is the case in all good space opera, "Sense of Wonder" is plentiful and in no short supply.

[If all of this sounds very similar to the Star Trek spinoff "Deep Space 9," it is certainly no coincidence. Straczynski pitched the show to a succession of potential sponsors for five years before having it green-lighted by Warner Bros.---and he pitched it to Paramount, the owner of the Star Trek franchise, circa 1989. Paramount turned him down on the concept of doing a show about a large space station manned jointly by humans and aliens, but kept the briefing materials. When B5 finally found a studio and a network (Warner Bros. and PTEN), Paramount suddenly launched its remarkably similar "Deep Space 9" the very same year, in 1993. Both shows were well produced, and were highlighted by good production, good writing, and fine acting. The difference was that "Deep Space 9" took place in the Star Trek universe with which we were all familiar, and B5 created its own, completely unique universe, in which the Earth of the 23rd century was a far less perfect, and far more conflicted place, than the utopian society portrayed previously in the Star Trek franchise. B5 was intended to be a saga, an integrated and well-planned five year novel for television, from its inception, in which the story would grow increasingly complex week after week, and characters would evolve along a predetermined arc---which was very different from the largely episodic format previously seen in the Star Trek franchise, in which the reset button was hit at the end of each week's show. The irony is that a Star Trek franchise, "DS9," copied, in part, the idea of a complex and evolving story line inherent in the B5 concept, and in doing so created perhaps the best of all the Star Trek spinoffs. Both shows have very loyal fan bases, and both were fine productions. But B5 led the way here, and in doing so J. Michael Straczynski was bold and innovative enough to create a completely new and compelling universe full of realpolitik and intrigue. I prefer the gritty and frank realism of B5 to the utopian society found in classic "Star Trek," and "Star Trek: The Next Generation."]

Babylon 5 was made financially feasible by its pioneering use of CGI during the early and mid-1990s (the pilot aired in 1993, and the five-year show ran from 1994-1998). Those special visual effects still hold up well on the small screen, and most of them hold up adequately even on big screen, HD TVs. While it is true that there are some occasional visual effects resolution problems (caused by the visual effects composite shots, originally displayed in a 4:3 ratio, being later "blown up" for DVD presentation to match the 16:9 ratio that the live action scenes were shot in), they are endurable (and forgiveable) because of the high quality of the writing, acting, and musical score. Each episode was uniquely and individually scored by the masterful and innovative German-born Christopher Franke, who gave the show much of its dramatic personality.

The casting for the show was equally fortuitous, with Michael O'Hare portraying the thoughtful and introspective first Commander of the station (Commander Jeffrey Sinclair); and with the energetic, eminently likeable, and talented Bruce Boxleitner taking over his duties (as Captain John Sheridan) in seasons 2 through 5, and catapulting us through a truly remarkable and transformative character arc (from an apolitical military man-of-action; to a reluctant, yet magnetic leader in an Earth civil war; to an even more reluctant, but quintessentially indispensable President of a new interstellar alliance). The beautiful and accomplished Mira Furlan portrayed the series' key female lead (as the forever mysterious Minbari Ambassador Delenn); Claudia Christian enthralled us with her tremendous empathy and sense of humor (as the station's Executive Officer); and the brilliant and consummately talented actors Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas literally "stole the show" as the mortally competitive ambassadors from the enemy Centauri and Narn regimes. Steven Furst provided unparalleled, and unforgettable comic relief as the aide to Centauri Ambassador Mollari. Richard Biggs, Patricia Tallman, Jason Carter, Andrea Thompson, and Jerry Doyle rounded out the show's ensemble cast with weekly performances that provided many memorable moments. The most captivating recurring guest star, by far, was Walter Koenig (formerly best known as Ensign Chekov on the original Star Trek series), who in 10 different B5 episodes, portrayed the dark but multi-layered antagonist known as "Alfred Bester" (in another homage to the golden age of Science Fiction), the man in a black uniform who could read your mind without you knowing it. Other actors who made noteworthy and recurring guest appearances on the show (many of them as aliens wearing the show's Emmy award-winning prosthetics and make-up) were Wayne Alexander; John Vickery; Robin Sachs; Kim Strauss; Ron Campbell; W. Morgan Sheppard; Caitlin Brown; and Marshall Teague.

The writing in B5 is character-driven, not plot-driven or special-effects driven. This is its strength---you really care about the characters and about what happens to them as they, and the universe around them, are both changing. There are still good plots (and some wonderful plot twists), and the CGI visual effects improved and became more complex each year as CGI technology progressed and developed, but B5---fortunately---is a character-driven saga. The show's creator, JMS, wanted to do a show that was BOTH good Science Fiction, and also successful as television drama, and managed to do both. He did so not only by concentrating on character development, but by tackling these four "big" philosophical questions, subjects not usually covered in weekly TV series: "Who are you? What do you want? Where are you going? Why are you here?" Straczynski also explored other "big" themes in B5. One such theme was that of selfless sacrifice (which, according to JMS, is one of the defining characteristics of sentient life): the willing (and knowing) sacrifice of one individual's life to save another; and the voluntary sacrifice of one life, or many, in the interests of the greater good---a philosophy, a cause, or even an entire society or culture. Straczynski also wrote multiple shows demonstrating his distrust of the mass media, and exploring the pervasive use by governments of propaganda, even in so-called "free" societies, using the mass media as its principal tool for dissemination of that propaganda. In his story lines, JMS also expressed great support for those individuals (such as his protagonist, Captain John Sheridan) who dare to buck the current, and oppose the establishment by speaking out against political wrongs and falsehoods; in one post-B5 interview, Straczynski stated: "It's often the person who says the most damaging things who is being the most patriotic." In the final episode of Season 4, titled "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," JMS also shares with us his disgust with the pack-mentality "groupthink" of modern academia, which prefers to ascribe virtually ALL historical change solely to blind economic and societal forces, and to downplay, or even deny, the significant roles of key individual leaders in guiding and creating our history. Straczynski teaches us throughout the B5 saga that it is okay to have heroes, because (no matter what the academics tell us about blind economic forces, and the strong influence of the establishment's consensus on the resolution of key societal issues) individuals---key historical figures---can, and often do, make a difference.

Everything about B5 is big: its scope, scale, the historical and moral issues that are tackled, and the effect it will have on your emotions, and I dare say, even upon your philosophy of life, and view of contemporary history. (JMS clearly commented upon both McCarthyism, and the JFK assassination, in his various plot threads.)

Some patience is required: as in Deep Space 9, the first year is largely episodic, and is used primarily to introduce the show's characters (while still establishing numerous key plot threads which will not be fully resolved for 3 or 4 years). Straczynski had an additional challenge: he did not inherit a pre-existing and well-formed universe, as DS9 did---in the pilot episode and first season, he had to create an entirely new B5 universe and sell it to an audience which was already accustomed to a very different Star Trek universe. But the payoff was in seasons 3 and 4 of Babylon 5: for the first time in TV history, one writer (JMS) wrote every episode of those two seasons, and with his universe and its characters already well-defined by seasons one and two, he takes the viewers on an unparalleled roller coaster ride of dramatic and historical adventure, and allows them to witness and experience some truly profound character arcs. You learn a lot along the way, about history and the human condition. As a writer, JMS did not disappoint; he promised much early in the series, and he delivered. Through the magic of DVDs, you can experience the ride as fast as you want, two or even three episodes per day, without having to wait one week between broadcasts, and even longer to see how each season-ending cliff-hanger was resolved.

I welcome its forthcoming release in Blu-Ray! Thank you, J. Michael Straczynski; producers John Copeland and Doug Netter; composer Christopher Franke; and the entire cast and crew.

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