There are some movies and TV shows that immediately grab me; they tend to be the ones I then become mildly obsessed with. One of those is Babylon 5. The others are Twin Peaks, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Expanse. I’ll talk about each of them shortly.  There are plenty of other shows and movies I like, and can get excited about, but I don’t obsess over them at the same level. I can talk about these five shows and movies endlessly.

Still from Babylon 5, Season 3, episode 10: Severed Dreams. The top part of the Babylon 5 station is visible in the bottom of the frame. Above that, you can see the lower part of a Minbari cruiser closer to the camera. Another Minbari cruiser is visible approximately at the same distance as the station, and two Earth cruisers are farther away. The background is a blue, purple, and pink nebula and black space with stars. There's some lens flare in the image.
Still from S3-E10 Severed Dreams.

At this point, I love Babylon 5 not just because it’s a good show, but also because I’ve loved it for decades and it feels very familiar: watching Babylon 5 is like hanging out with a dear old friend. Sometimes I’m vaguely envious of people who’ve never watched it, because I’d love to know what this show looks like to new eyes, all these years later, but having such a dear old friend is an amazing thing.

Several square and rectangular bits of paper with handwritten notes sitting on a drawing tablet by my keyboard.
Some of my notes for Babylon 5 episode discussions. Pic blurry on purpose 😀

There are many reasons to love Babylon 5. The story is [unfortunately] still relevant; it’s got corruption, censorship, oppression, fascism, genocide, civil wars. It also has cool space battles, good lines, compelling characters (including the ones that appear in only one or two episodes), and some excellent guest stars.

A still from Babylon 5, Season 3, episode 4: Passing Through Gethesemane. Brad Dourif as Brother Edward smiles with his right hand on his chest. You can only see him from the chest up, but he is wearing monk robes and you can see the leather strap of a shoulder bag. He is standing in or next to a transport tube with bright green light to his left.
Brad Dourif as Brother Edward (S3-E4: Passing through Gethesemane).

In addition, Babylon 5’s mix of main arc and standalone episode content exactly fits my preferences. I love that there is a clear main story, which is woven into everything, but there is still room for the story to wander, for the audience to get to know the characters, and for some lighter content. That is not to say I can’t enjoy a tight storyline, or a show that only does self-contained episodes. In fact, when it comes to the X-Files, I’m way more into the monster-of-the week episodes than anything to do with the main story. But, nonetheless, Babylon 5’s combo of main arc and randomness or character stuff is perfect for me.

I think the show’s real brilliance (though there’s so many good things to say about it) lies in the fact that the main story is clearly present in every aspect of the story , especially in the earlier seasons. This is something you really can’t appreciate on your first watch. Therefore, when I watch with someone who is new to the show, I sometimes worry that they won’t be able to understand the true brilliance of the show unless they watch it again, and who’s got time for that? That said, I’ve yet to introduce someone to Babylon 5 who ended up not liking it.

A still from Babylon 5 Season 3, episode 10: Severed Dreams. Sheridan, seen from his right, is standing in C&C, wearing his Earth Force uniform. There is some blood on the left side of his forehead. Behind him is a large video screen on the wall. On the screen is a closeup of Delenn, who is talking.
Still from S3-E10 Severed Dreams.

Watching with new people is so interesting. When I do it now, decades after the show aired, these people are generally rather older than I was when I first watched it, so it hits differently. My views on several things have changed with age For example, “ten years since the end of the Minbari war” seemed like a really long time. Now, ten years seems like no time at all. It makes a lot more sense that people are still really hung up on that war, especially the Minbari, who live longer. In addition to the perspective that comes with age, the people I’m now watching with also just have a lot more TV-watching experience than young people. They understand how stories work and they’re far more likely to pick up on things I wouldn’t have noticed when I was young and new to B5. So, yes, watching with new people is incredibly exciting and I recommend it to all Babylon 5 fans!

Anyway, there’s likely going to be a LOT of B5 content on this blog. The notes in the second pic are but a small sample. I have written a lot on the topic. Stay tuned! 🙂