If you are a fan of scifi, or if you grew up watching scifi. you will love Babylon 5. Babylon 5 was brought to the television screen in 1993, for adult audiences, but at first glance it looked like a Deep Space 9 copy-cat, with it’s military and space station setting. However it was so much more; Babylon 5 can be better described as where Star Trek meets Dune. The five seasons that were produced follow a complete story arc with in-depth character development, political intrigue and racial and cultural tensions as expressed through different species. Unfortunately for Warner Brothers the series was under-marketed and remains unknown to many. Yet it was so successful that there is a reboot in the works. In fact after a few seasons DS9 started to flounder, and they adopted the longer story arc style of Babylon 5 to rekindle interest.
Babylon 5 action figures were sold.
Babylon 5 is an off world space station, somewhat like an intergalactic United Nations set in the mid 23rd century. The Earth Alliance that inhabit it and work to negotiate the interplanetary politics are made up of Earthlings, Minbari, Centauri the Narn and the Vorlons. In addition to these political / military powerhouses (Think G7), are other species who together make up a league of Non-Aligned worlds and use the station to participate in diplomatic pursuits, but don’t make up the main characters. The cast is huge, with many additions, subtractions and reoccurring roles over the 5 year story arc. A dark force, unknown to humanity but written about across cultures, are malevolent and secretive manipulators bringing chaos and war between the known peoples. Their work is always done in The Shadows, earning them the moniker and bringing mystery to the ongoing story as we try to discover what motivates and drives this evil antagonist.
Babylon 5 rates an 8/10 for entertainment and plot development and a 7/10 as a potential cult classic.
