Babylon 5 vs Star Trek

Differences are what discussion forums are all about. We will all have differing points of view. Discussing these subjects isn't so much about changing one person's opinion as it is about learning more about the subject of discussion, and of course, learning about each other, because, for one thing, it isn't very often that anyone ever changes their mind based on another person's opinions.

Which brings me to the overall messages of both Star Trek and B-5. The messages of both shows aren't all that much different. They are actually two sides of the same coin. Star Trek is most often a very paradisaical view of the future. It offers us a view of what the future might be like if we are able to put away our more aggressive tendencies. B-5 shows us the other side of things. It shows us what our future could turn out to be if we don't learn to settle our problems peaceably in our present day.

Both views are of equal importance, but of course, differing people will find watching one more appealing than the other. Or, they will be like me, and be torn between the two. I enjoy good stories wherever I can find them. I make some exceptions, of course. I don't like horror films. For instance, I wasn't into Event Horizon. Something about that movie turned me off. I can't say anything about the movie was done badly though. The only expectations I'd had before watching it was that it would be a SF film. I've found that the more expectations I have before watching something new, the more I'm going to be disappointed when it turns out to be completely different than I expected. The Star Wars prequels come to mind, right off hand, for not living up to my expectations.
 
C Of K said:
I wasn't into pointless endless emotive wittering. Something about that movie turned me off. I can't say anything about the movie was done badly though. The only expectations I'd had before watching it was that it would be a SF film. I've found that the more expectations I have before watching something new, the more I'm going to be disappointed when it turns out to be completely different than I expected. The Star Wars prequels come to mind, right off hand, for not living up to my expectations.
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I had no expectations of Event Horizon either and couldn't be bothered watching to the end. My you I have found all of Paul W. S. Anderson's films to be piles of unwatchable overblown cobblers - Pandorum aside. But he didn't direct that, he produced.
 
Lol. Good one. You provided me with a true surreal moment. I kept thinking, the above quote doesn't sound like something I would say. Ah, it's too early in the morning. Need caffeine.
 
Just as a final note (and I wouldn't try this at work or with the kids around) if you type '"Star Trek" Fakes' into Google with the SafeSearch filter set to 'Off', you get About 2,840,000 results. With '"Babylon 5" fakes' you get considerably fewer, about 64,200.

I don't know what this says about the audiences, but it would seem more people feel the need to see Gates McFadden's, Jeri Ryan's or Kate Mulgrew's (!) heads pasted onto the body of some anonymous porn 'actresses' than want to see the entire female cast of B5 posing provocatively with no clothes on.

(Having said that there is one particularly weird picture of Sheridan and Delenn in leather gear that is going to take surgery to remove from my head. Christ! I really wish you could unsee things sometimes.)
 
Finished watching DS9 a month and a half ago. I'm getting into the 3rd season of B5 now.

[spoilers]*********************************************************************************************

DS9 was really fun to watch. I love the characters, and the overall story is very good. DS9 looks better than B5. In fact DS9 looks great most of the time. I did find that in the last few seasons, it was sometimes difficult to tell that the Federation was actually kind of losing the war with the Dominion. One episode would be grim and bloody, and then the next episode would be lighthearted, and you might not even think there was a war on at all. The second weakness is all the unexplained miracles in DS9. Seemingly, the heroes could call on the power of the prophets whenever a situation became to large for them to handle. Because the prophets are gods, insurmountable problems could be toppled in an instant. All well and good, but there's never any explanation as to how the prophets are able to make a fleet of ships vanish at will.

B5 actually seemed to expose the gods of all the differing races. The Vorlons were credited with manipulating most races into worshiping them. There were no gods with truly miraculous powers in B5. There was no one to help the heroes out of impossible situations, who wouldn't suffer heavy consequences for doing so. Kosh did help the heroes, but he was eventually murdered for doing so.

For me, this is where B5 is stronger than any Star Trek. The fact that it was written before they began producing the show eliminated the need to utilize dues ex machina in order to close a sticky plot thread, and helps strengthen the progression of events from episode to episode. They didn't have a party aboard B5 the week after the Centauri fleet bombed Narn back into the stone age. B5 doesn't waste time dallying with inconsequential themes, and plots. The foreshadowing is amazing, and the themes are serious. Regardless of what has been said about characters leaving the show with no explanation, I have yet to come across even one who did. I read in an interview that JMS pre-wrote a trap door for every major character, just encase there were complications with the actors, and it shows thus far. As memory serves me, even in the terrible 5th season, there was still perfectly sound reasoning given for the characters who left the show to leave it.
 
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I also think it (B5) had better design, too. Certainly the starships.
 
SPOILERS......

We are believers is one of the saddest episodes. Stephen wants to help but ultimately puts a child through the harrowing experience of being rejected by his family.

Oddly enough, the parents are not persecuted, nor does Stephen lose his medical license. We also see Kosh refuse to get involved even though he has had a personal experience with surgery without permission.

In this episode we see condescending atheism from a xenobiologist who should no better, and extreme fundamentalist beliefs from an alien family, with the commander treading the fine line of political-ethical bureaucracy. I can't help but feel it is pro atheism though as the parents' culture comes across as rudimentary, and Stephen's continued disrespect for their beliefs evidenced in more than one attempt at deception, completely tolerable. This may be because I am an atheist, I wonder how religious people view this episode?
 
Babylon5buff said:
SPOILERS......

We are believers is one of the saddest episodes. Stephen wants to help but ultimately puts a child through the harrowing experience of being rejected by his family.

Oddly enough, the parents are not persecuted, nor does Stephen lose his medical license. We also see Kosh refuse to get involved even though he has had a personal experience with surgery without permission.

In this episode we see condescending atheism from a xenobiologist who should no better, and extreme fundamentalist beliefs from an alien family, with the commander treading the fine line of political-ethical bureaucracy. I can't help but feel it is pro atheism though as the parents' culture comes across as rudimentary, and Stephen's continued disrespect for their beliefs evidenced in more than one attempt at deception, completely tolerable. This may be because I am an atheist, I wonder how religious people view this episode?
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As a religious person and a huge Babylon 5 fan, I dislike this episode. It is the only episode I can think of that I actively dislike and I've watched the entire series multiple times. It is singularly responsible for my dislike for Franklin for the rest of the series (easily my least favorite character). It's mostly his total lack of respect for what this alien family believes to be true. Though I think the whole episode is easily the most poorly written episode of the series. Later episodes had some really great treatment of religion and religious people (Passing Through Gethsemane being the tour de force), but this one was extremely ham handed.
 
B5 is a show I started right at its beginning, with the promotional movies. I enjoyed how it was darker than Trek, but I never managed to get into the series beyond a certain point. I've thought a million times about going back and giving it a shot. Should I?
 
If you enjoyed the darker streak of B5, you should definitely go for it. The series takes many unforeseen turns and twists, yet comes to a satisfying conclusion.

(Personally, I like the more positive spin of Trek, and especially the better special effects.)
 
Yeah, I remember the effects on B5 weren't the best.

Don't know what it is about me, but I always like the darker stuff. I loved Trek, but I really salivated when wars happened.
 
Steve Soldwedel said:
I've thought a million times about going back and giving it a shot. Should I?
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Just start at the beginning of Season 2. Season 1 was too slow - it had its moments, but went nowhere fast. Season 2 absolutely hits a higher gear, and Season 3 is intense.

Definitely worth a shot, IMO. And welcome to chronicles. :)
 
agreed, Season 2 is definitely where to start. You're in for a real treat. how I envy you seeing this for the first time.
 
Steve Soldwedel said:
Yeah, I remember the effects on B5 weren't the best.

Don't know what it is about me, but I always like the darker stuff. I loved Trek, but I really salivated when wars happened.
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At the time the effects were cutting edge, they don't look quite so cutting endue on hi Definition tv. Still, a great tv show.(y)
 
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