History Series / BabylonFive

Though it achieved only niche success during its lifetime, ''[=B5=]'' is the UrExample for several tropes television takes for granted today. It was the first American TV show to even ''have'' a MythArc (a feature popularized Stateside by ''Series/{{LOST}}'', though Mexican ''telenovela'' had been doing this for decades), one of the first to use CGI renders for all its SFX instead of practical models (and [[TechnologyMarchesOn it shows today]]), and one of the first to have a very strong Internet fandom. In some ways, ''[=B5=]'' (and its [[DuelingShow Dueling Show]] ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', with which it shares many qualities) is the precursor to so-called "Prestige television," a category of continuity-heavy, angsty dramas that contains some of the luminaries of the medium like ''Breaking Bad'', ''The Sopranos'', ''The Walking Dead'' and ''Game of Thrones''. As such, although it is not always heavily ''discussed'', the show's influence on English-language television and wider video fiction in the [=21st=] century is nearly all-encompassing.

->''It was the [[DawnOfAnEra dawn of the third age]] of mankind – ten years after the [[CurbStompBattle Earth-Minbari War]].\\
The Babylon Project was a dream, given form. Its goal: to prevent another war, by creating a place where humans and aliens can work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call – home away from home – for [[{{Ambadassador}} diplomats]], [[HonestJohn hustlers, entrepreneurs]], and [[MonsterOfTheWeek wanderers]]. Humans and aliens, wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal... [[SpaceIsCold all alone in the night]]. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace.\\

While the series is often given as an early example of a [[MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness hard science fiction]] show, it does have HumanoidAliens and RubberForeheadAliens (with human-like {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s) making up the majority of its non-human cast, aliens and machines with [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens powers verging on magic]], and humans with PsychicPowers. Still, [[HollywoodScience by TV standards]], it's fairly crispy sci-fi. Likewise, while the show is often seen as being more toward the cynical end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, at times almost edging into BlackAndGrayMorality, it also has some shining moments of idealism as well. One could say that the overarching {{Aesop}} of the series is "the [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids pragmatic]] survive, and the [[{{Determinator}} determined]] thrive, but [[EarnYourHappyEnding Faith Manages]]." An alternative interpretation of Babylon 5 is that it is one large aesop in support of reducing conflicts through forming personal relationships and exchanging information with those you are different. Not only was the earth - Minbari war started over a misunderstanding, but it was ended when the Minbari learned more about humans. The big bad was constantly portrayed as one person/group or another hiding in the shadows, using brainwashing, or controlled/controlling from behind the scenes by promises, threats, or a parasite. Mind readers, propaganda, confiscated information, and old fashioned talking solved many of the shows issues.

Though it achieved only niche success during its lifetime, ''[=B5=]'' is the UrExample for several tropes television takes for granted today. It was the first American TV show to even ''have'' a MythArc (a feature popularized Stateside by ''Series/{{LOST}}'', though Mexican ''telenovela'' had been doing this for decades), one of the first to use CGI renders for all its SFX instead of practical models (and [[TechnologyMarchesOn it shows today]]), and one of the first to have a very strong Internet fandom. In some ways, ''[=B5=]'' (and its [[DuelingShow Dueling Show]] ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', with which it shares many qualities) is the precursor to so-called "Prestige television," a category of continuity-heavy, angsty dramas that contains some of the luminaries of the medium like ''Breaking Bad'', ''The Sopranos'', ''The Walking Dead'' and ''Game of Thrones''.

It is available via Netflix, in disc form only. [[http://www.thewb.com/shows/babylon-5 The WB]] has also put up Season 1 and cycling episodes (think Hulu "view X episodes at a time") of season 2 for online watching. The first season does not include the tenth episode, "Believers." There is also a DVD box including all seasons and movies. Recently, the streaming site Go90 has [[https://www.go90.com/shows/babylon5 made all five seasons available]] for streaming. Unfortunately, as of 5/4/2018 it appears no longer to be online at go90.

While the series is often given as an early example of a [[MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness hard science fiction]] show, it does have HumanoidAliens and RubberForeheadAliens (with human-like {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s) making up the majority of its non-human cast, aliens and machines with [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens powers verging on magic]], and humans with PsychicPowers. Still, [[HollywoodScience by TV standards]], it's fairly crispy sci-fi. Likewise, while the show is often seen as being more toward the cynical end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, at times almost edging into BlackAndGrayMorality, it also has some shining moments of idealism as well. One could say that the overarching {{Aesop}} of the series is "the [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids pragmatic]] survive, and the [[{{Determinator}} determined]] thrive, but [[EarnYourHappyEnding Faith Manages]]."

It is available via Netflix, in disc form only. [[http://www.thewb.com/shows/babylon-5 The WB]] has also put up Season 1 and cycling episodes (think Hulu "view X episodes at a time") of season 2 for online watching. The first season does not include the tenth episode, "Believers." There is also a DVD box including all seasons and movies. Recently, the streaming site Go90 has [[https://www.go90.com/shows/babylon5 made all five seasons available]] for streaming.

Though it achieved only niche success during its lifetime, ''[=B5=]'' is the UrExample for several tropes television takes for granted today. It was the first American TV show to even ''have'' a MythArc (a feature popularized by ''Series/{{LOST}}'' in America, though Mexican ''telenovela'' had been doing this for decades), one of the first to use CGI renders for all its SFX instead of practical models (and [[TechnologyMarchesOn it shows today]]), and one of the first to have a very strong Internet fandom.

It is available via Netflix, in disc form only. [[http://www.thewb.com/shows/babylon-5 The WB]] has also put up Season 1 and cycling episodes (think Hulu "view X episodes at a time") of season 2 for online watching. The first season does not include the tenth episode, "Believers." There is also a DVD box including all seasons and movies.

The story takes place on Babylon 5, a giant cylindrical space station and sort of [[TheFederation United Nations in space]]. It's not all roses, however, as Earth's military is woefully outmatched by those of the other delegates, resulting in what can be generously described as a tentative peace. It's up to the crew to throw cold water on old rivalries and keep these various factions from devouring one another; a task made difficult by [[VichyEarth an increasingly-reactionary and despotic Earth command]].

The story takes place on Babylon 5, a giant cylindrical space station (the design is more specifically referred to as an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder O'Neill Cylinder]], the station referred in-universe as O'Neill class) and sort of [[TheFederation United Nations in space]]. It's not all roses, however, as Earth's military is woefully outmatched by those of the other delegates, resulting in what can be generously described as a tentative peace. It's up to the crew to throw cold water on old rivalries and keep these various factions from devouring one another; a task made difficult by [[VichyEarth an increasingly-reactionary and despotic Earth command]].

Though it achieved only niche success during its lifetime, ''[=B5=]'' paved the way for a number of things that television takes for granted today. It was the first American TV show to tell one coherent story (a feature popularized by ''Series/LOST'' in America though Mexican ''telenovela'' had been doing this for decades), one of the first to use CGI renders for all its SFX instead of practical models (and [[TechnologyMarchesOn it shows today]]), and one of the first to have a very strong Internet fandom.

* ''[[Babylon5TheLostTales The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark]]'' -- 2007 DirectToVideo {{interquel}} which was intended to be the first of a series of new DTV stories. This one didn't pan out, either, despite some degree of commercial success.

->''"Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tonnes of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5."''
-->-- '''Season 1 Opening'''

''Babylon 5'' took the use of {{Story Arc}}s to new heights, and introduced the concept of the WhamEpisode, with probably over half of its episodes contributing to one major series-long arc (a MythArc). JMS had plotted out much of the arc before the series began, and occasionally referred to it as a five-year long MiniSeries or as "one story told over five years". Some of the story was also told through the tie-in novels and comic books since there wasn't time within that five-year timeframe to tell the entire story on television.

While the series is often given as an early example of a [[MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness hard science fiction]] show, it does have HumanoidAliens and RubberForeheadAliens (with human-like {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s) making up the majority of its non-human cast, aliens and machines with [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens powers verging on magic]], and humans with PsychicPowers. Still, [[HollywoodScience by TV standards]], it's fairly crispy sci-fi. Likewise, while the show is often seen as being more toward the cynical end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, at times almost edging into BlackAndGrayMorality, it also has some shining moments of idealism as well. One could say that the overarching {{Aesop}} of the series is "the [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids pragmatic]] survive, and the [[TheDeterminator determined]] thrive, but [[EarnYourHappyEnding Faith Manages]]."

''Babylon 5'' is a [[TheNineties Nineties]] SpaceOpera created by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, running from 1994-1998 (a two-hour pilot, "The Gathering", had aired in 1993). It was syndicated as a part of the Creator/{{PTEN}} network package for its first four seasons, and was picked up by TNT for its fifth.

The story takes place on Babylon 5, a giant cylindrical space station (the design is more specifically referred to as an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder O'Neil Cylender]], the station referred in-universe as O'Neil class) and sort of [[TheFederation United Nations in space]]. It's not all roses, however, as Earth's military is woefully outmatched by those of the other delegates, resulting in what can be generously described as a tentative peace. It's up to the crew to throw cold water on old rivalries and keep these various factions from devouring one another; a task made difficult by [[VichyEarth an increasingly-reactionary and despotic Earth command]].

'''''Babylon 5''''' is a [[TheNineties Nineties]] SpaceOpera created by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, running from 1994-1998 (a two-hour pilot, "The Gathering", had aired in 1993). It was syndicated as a part of the Creator/{{PTEN}} network package for its first four seasons, and was picked up by TNT for its fifth.

* ''[[Recap/BabylonFiveFilm02Thirdspace Thirdspace]]'' -- 1998, takes place during the fourth season of the series, after [[spoiler: the heroes win the Shadow War and all the First Ones leave the galaxy]], but before [[spoiler:the beginning of the war to liberate Earth]].

''Series/{{Crusade}}'', which ran for 13 episodes in 1999, told the story of the spaceship ''Excalibur'' and her search for a counteragent to/cure for a slow-acting biological weapon which has been deployed against the Earth by an returning [=B5=] villain. The series had serious trouble: superficial resemblance to the plot of ''Anime/StarBlazers'' was cited, and creators raged against the ridiculous amounts of ExecutiveMeddling that they had to fight against. (These network notes were attacked more than once in the ''Crusade'' scripts themselves.) Opinions on the quality of the episodes were divided: to some, the series showed considerable promise before its [[ScrewedByTheNetwork premature death]]; to others, markedly less.

* ''[[Babylon5TheLostTales The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark]]'' -- 2007 DirectToVideo {{interquel}} which was intended to be the first of a series of new DTV stories. It didn't pan out either despite some degree of commercial success.

!!SpinOff[=s=] and {{continuation}}s

''Babylon 5'', a [[TheNineties Nineties]] SpaceOpera created by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, ran from 1994-1998 (a two-hour pilot, "The Gathering", had aired in 1993). It was syndicated as a part of the Creator/{{PTEN}} network package for its first four seasons, and was shown on TNT in its fifth.

The story takes place on Babylon 5, a giant cylindrical space station (the design is more specifically referred to as an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder O'Neil Cylender]], the station referred in-universe as O'Neil class) and sort of [[TheFederation United Nations in space]]. It's not all roses, however, as Earth's military is woefully outmatched by those of the other delegates, resulting in what can be generously described as a tentative peace. It's up to Cdr. Jeffrey Sinclair -- and later Captain John Sheridan -- to throw cold water on old rivalries and keep these various factions from devouring one another; a task made difficult by [[VichyEarth an increasingly-reactionary and despotic Earth command]].

It spun off the short-lived series ''Series/{{Crusade}}'', which ran for 13 episodes in 1999, telling the story of the spaceship ''Excalibur'' and the search for a counteragent to/cure for a slow-acting biological weapon that had been successfully deployed against the Earth by hostile aliens. The series had serious trouble: superficial resemblance to the plot of ''Anime/StarBlazers'' was cited, and creators commented on the ridiculous amounts of ExecutiveMeddling that they had to fight against. This trend for intervention was attacked more than once in the ''Crusade'' scripts themselves. Opinions on the quality of the episodes were divided: to some, the series showed considerable promise before its [[ScrewedByTheNetwork premature death]]; to others, markedly less.

It is available via Netflix, on disc only. [[http://www.thewb.com/shows/babylon-5 The WB]] has also put up Season 1 and cycling episodes (think Hulu "view X episodes at a time") of season 2 for online watching. The first season does not include the tenth episode, "Believers." There is also a DVD box including all seasons and movies.

Has an [[Recap/BabylonFive in-progress Recap page]]. [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/BestEpisode/BabylonFive Vote here for the Best Episode]].

The story takes place on Babylon 5, a giant cylindrical space station and sort of [[TheFederation United Nations in space]]. It's not all roses, however, as Earth's military is woefully outmatched by those of the other delegates, resulting in what can be generously described as a tentative peace. It's up to Cdr. Jeffrey Sinclair -- and later Captain John Sheridan -- to throw cold water on old rivalries and keep these various factions from devouring one another; a task made difficult by [[VichyEarth an increasingly-reactionary and despotic Earth command]].

It spun off the short-lived series ''Series/{{Crusade}}'', which ran for 13 episodes in 1999, telling the story of the spaceship ''Excalibur'' and the search for a counteragent to/cure for a slow-acting biological weapon that had been successfully deployed against the Earth by hostile aliens. The series had serious trouble: superficial resemblance to the plot of ''[[UchuuSenkanYamato Star Blazers]]'' was cited, and creators commented on the ridiculous amounts of ExecutiveMeddling that they had to fight against. This trend for intervention was attacked more than once in the ''Crusade'' scripts themselves. Opinions on the quality of the episodes were divided: to some, the series showed considerable promise before its [[ScrewedByTheNetwork premature death]]; to others, markedly less.

''Babylon 5'' took the use of {{Story Arc}}s to new heights, and introduced the concept of the WhamEpisode, with probably over half of its episodes contributing to one major series-long arc (a MythArc). JMS had plotted out much of the arc before the series began, and occasionally referred to it as a five-year long MiniSeries.

It is available via Netflix, on disc only. [[http://www.thewb.com/shows/babylon-5 The WB]] has also put up Season 1 and cycling episodes (think Hulu "view X episodes at a time") of season 2 for online watching. The first season does not include the tenth episode, "Believers."

->''Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tonnes of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5.''

Has an [[Recap/BabylonFive in-progress Recap page]].

''Babylon 5'' took the use of {{Story Arc}}s to new heights, and introduced the concept of the WhamEpisode, with probably over half of its episodes contributing to one major series-long arc (a MythArc). JMS had plotted out much of the arc before the series began, and occasionally referred to it as a five-year long MiniSeries. (The fourth and fifth seasons had to be telescoped into one when the show was going to be [[CutShort prematurely ended]]. Then it was UnCancelled and picked up by TNT, and they had to scramble to create [[PostScriptSeason a fifth season]], which was not as well-liked by most fans.)

The story takes place on Babylon 5, a giant [[http://www.nss.org/settlement/space/oneillcylinder.htm O'Neill cylinder]] and sort of [[TheFederation United Nations in space]]. It's not all roses, however, as Earth's military is woefully outmatched by those of the other delegates, resulting in what can be generously described as a tentative peace. It's up to Cdr. Jeffrey Sinclair -- and later Captain John Sheridan -- to throw cold water on old rivalries and keep these various factions from devouring one another; a task made difficult by [[VichyEarth an increasingly-reactionary and despotic Earth command]].