Babylon 5 (DVD) Review

Nominated for 6 Emmys and 3 Hugo Awards in its five-season run, Babylon 5 changed the landscape of the TV science fiction series genre. Following on the heels of hit series such as Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5 is unrivaled by any of its peers in its application of special effects. The brainchild of J. Michael Straczynski (writer for such shows as Murder She Wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger), the hour-long sci-fi drama series breaks new ground by deploying a five-season storyline that follows the outline of a traditional novel. As such, Babylon 5 is more like a mini-series that lasts five years instead of the usual three to five nights. And also unlike its predecessors, the series showcases original advanced technologies, believable alien characters (who speak alien and not English), and boasts of superb costume and makeup. Premiering in mid-season 1994, Babylon 5 established a solid audience and continues to inspire new generations of fans via synd icated reruns on cable

Babylon 5 follows the daily events that transpire on Babylon 5, a five-mile long space station from the year 2258. Built by the Earth Alliance, Babylon 5 orbits a lone planet in interplanetary (neutral) space. The setting for an Earthling military post and a transportation hub for businessmen and general travelers, the space station's primary purpose is to provide a safe haven for the airing of differences between the alien races. Similar in function to the United Nations, Babylon 5 is tasked with preserving the peace between the five primary space-traveling civilizations - the Earth Alliance, the Mimbari Federation, the Centauri Republic, the Narn Regime, and the Vorlon Empire. Headed by Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare), and later by Capt. John J. Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner), Babylon 5 is home to almost 300,000 humans and their alien counterparts. With so many confined to such a small area, the space station is ripe for internal strug gle, racial conflict, regular cast members' personal problems, and showdowns between various political interests. It's this intricate and diverse storyboard, coupled with amazing visual effects, that makes Babylon 5 one of the most successful sci-fi TV shows in recent memory

The Babylon 5 DVD features a number of exciting episodes including the series premiere Midnight on the Firing Line in which the crew of Babylon 5 awake to find that the Narn have launched an attack on a Centauri colony. The event drives a wedge between Londo and G'Kar. Meanwhile, a number of attacks on ships around Babylon 5 by space pirates has become a rampant problem Other notable episodes from Season 1 include The War Prayer in which Babylon 5 is plagued by a racist group of humans who attack and brand alien residents, and Babylon Squared in which Babylon 4 reappears in the same coordinates in which it disappeared several years earlier, prompting the crew of Babylon 5 to arrange an evacuation o f its predecessor while they try to discover the cause

Below is a list of episodes included on the Babylon 5 (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Midnight on the Firing Line) Air Date: 01-26-1994
Episode 2 (Soul Hunter) Air Date: 02-02-1994
Episode 3 (Born to the Purple) Air Date: 02-09-1994
Episode 4 (Infection) Air Date: 02-16-1994
Episode 5 (The Parliament of Dreams) Air Date: 02-23-1994
Episode 6 (Mind War) Air Date: 03-02-1994
Episode 7 (The War Prayer) Air Date: 03-09-1994
Episode 8 (And the Sky Full of Stars) Air Date: 03-16-1994
Episode 9 (Deathwalker) Air Date: 04-20-1994
Episode 10 (Believers) Air Date: 04-27-1994
Episode 11 (Survivors) Air Date: 05-04-1994
Episode 12 (By Any Means Necessary) Air Date: 05-11-1994
Episode 13 (Signs and Portents) Air Date: 05-18-1994
Episode 14 (TKO) Air Date: 05-25-1994
Episode 15 (Grail) Air Date: 07-06-1994
Episode 16 (Eyes) Air Date: 07-13-1994
Episode 17 (Legacy) Air Date: 07-20-1994
Episode 18 (A Voice in the Wilderness: Part 1) Air Date: 07-27-1994
Episode 19 (A Voice in the Wilderness: Part 2) Air Date: 08-03-1994
Episode 20 (Babylon Squared) Air Date: 08-10-1994
Episode 21 (The Quality of Mercy) Air Date: 08-17-1994
Episode 22 (Chrysalis) Air Date: 10-26-1994

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Babylon 5 (DVD).

Author:: Britt Gillette
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