Rating: 
Summary: A great start
Review: I first joined the babylon 5 universe in the middle of season 2. I was hook very quickly but was always wondering what lay behind me.
When TNT started showing reruns I was able to see what I missed!
Boy did I miss a lot. There was a few bad episodes (TKO comes to mind) but all in all this was a very strong season. In fact by the time it has over I found myself missing Michael O'Hare.
The amazing thing about this season is, even though I knew what was coming, these episodes held me entrapped.
Part of that is the first season is a lot more self contain then the rest of the series (with the exception of season 5) another part is the style. This was one of the few seasons were there were other writers (including my personaly favorite -Peter David).
It was also interesting to watch were these characters came from knowing were they ended particualy Londo and G'Kar.
This is one of my favorite seasons and has probably the best season finale of the lot.
This is a must buy for any B5.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm hooked. Can't wait to watch the 2nd season.
Review: I have not purchased the Babylon 5 season 1 DVD set, but I did borrow it from my local library. In fact I never saw the series when it first aired on TV. So although I do like science fiction, I did not watch the DVDs because I was a B5 fan.
Anyway, now that I have just finished watching the entire first season for the first time, I can say that I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. This is in spite of the fact that everyone seems to consider this the weakest of the five seasons of B5.
I will agree with the all the cautionary comments about the first season. Yes, a lot of the one shot story lines were nothing to write home about. Yes, some of the dialogue could be a lot better. And yes, some of the special effects were not well done. (In addition to the already mentioned "sparkler" explosions my "favorite" cheesy effect was the moving transport tube backgrounds. Ugh. Truly fake looking. Even Michael Straczynski apologized for it on one of the commentary tracks.)
But none of those things made the first season unbearable for me. If you want to see some truly awful & cheesy science fiction try watching some of the first season episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I love ST:TNG, but the first season is full of episodes only a mother (or a trekkie fan) could love. Compared to ST:TNG's first season, the B5 crew have nothing to be ashamed about. I guess my point is not to write off a series because of it's first season. Every show has it's growing pains. And IMHO, B5's first season is much better than the first season of ST:TNG.
So what did I like about the show's first season?
The long term story arc is what sucked me in. There are only a few episodes in the first season that exist solely to move the long term story forward. But even the stand alone stories are filled with little pieces of information that help you to understand the history of the various races and characters and how everything fits together. There are also hints of what will happen in the future. It was these little tidbits that made hungry for more. I can also see why it would be great to own the DVD sets. By the time that I finish watching the entire series I'm sure I will want to go back and watch it again to see what subtle references I didn't understand the first time I saw it.
I also thought that in spite of dialogue that was sometimes stilted, the characters were truly interesting. Compared to the "cookie cutter" characters in the various Star Trek series, I found the characters in B5 to be refreshing. I spent much of the first season trying to figure out which of the alien races were going to be the "bad guys" (as many alien races in Star Trek are). But in the end I found out that none of them were truly evil (Ok, maybe the shadows are, But you don't learn much about them in the first season). Their actions are driven by their individual desires, beliefs, flaws, cultures, and histories. I also found the human characters interesting, especially the security chief, Garibaldi.
And finally in spite of some of the cheesy special effects, there were also times when the FX did a really great job. Some of the large space battle scenes were pretty impressive for a TV show at the time these were originally created. In order to enjoy older science fiction shows (B5's first season is at least 10 years old now) you have to be able to appreciate that technology and money limited what could be done at the time. I'm expecting that the FX in later seasons only improved on what was done in the first season.
In summary, I liked it and I'm glad I started watching at the beginning. On the other hand I can understand why some wouldn't be impressed with the first season. If you think the first season's flaws might turn you off to the show, you might want to skip season one at first.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Story Arc
Review: When it first came out, I was put off by the cheesy early episodes. But this series has wonderful character actors and a long story arc that builds and unfolds and interconnects. The best science fiction on television.
Rating: 
Summary: Barely redeems itself toward the end...
Review: Let me start by affirming that I am an avid sci-fi fan with a high tolerance for the genre's quirks and foibles. This boxed set, however, tested my patience to its limit. In fact, it was an extreme act of discipline and loyalty to keep watching...until the last 3 episodes that is, which represented a marked improvement over their predecessors.
The most irritating problem with the show is the writing itself. The dialogue is so stiff and cliched that I physically winced. (example: "Let's get this show on the road!") Dialogue is used to spoonfeed the viewer ("As you already know, Commander...") which adds to the sense of This-is-a-12-year-old-superhero-comic-book. The intro is a weak attempt to duplicate the power of "To boldly go where no man has gone before." Alas, "The name of the place is Babylon 5!!!" doesn't exactly give one cold chills. The lame attempts at humor fall quite flat and the characters rarely mesh. The effects are distracting rather than special--it's tough to concentrate on the storyline when one is busy noticing how obviously superimposed the actors are against an animated background. The frequent explosions resemble the hand-held sparklers kids waive around on the 4th of July.
Having said all that, I did find some redemption in the final episodes, during which time the promised story arc begins to appear, some characters come alive, and the writing improves significantly. In fact, it was towards the end I realized several of the actors are actually quite talented. In particular, Peter Jurasik (Londo) does an outstanding job of presenting a character that is all at once brash and subtle. Poor Peter was initially handicapped by the aforementioned inferior writing and an unconvincing costume complete with sideways mohawk (someone should tell S.E.T.I. that in order to find alien life, all they need is a bottle of Elmer's glue) but he is the one who is ultimately most convincing in his role. Also, the story absolutely succeeds in establishing a complex and interesting socio-political environment as well as a humdinger of a finale upon which to base future episodes.
All in all, the show was mournfully lacking. But, just perhaps, the show had to suffer some growing pains. Enough of interest occured in the final hours to give me hope, and I actually (*deep breath, fingers crossed*) ordered the second season! We shall see...
Rating:
Summary: not great, but good
Review: I never viewed Babylon 5 in its' initial run. I caught one episode, from this season, and that was it. So, i can only state my opinion on the dvd presentation of the series. As anyone who has followed a series from its' inception to finale can state, there is a definitive difference between watching a series on tv, and watching it on dvd (or video).I love Babylon 5. Every good thing that any scifi geek has ever told you about it being it best science fiction series produced is dead on. And yet one cannot really give the first season a great review. There are very few series that could warrant such a review for the first season, simply because there are always growing pains. This first season isn't bad, it's simply mediocre. It's slow in its character development, there are a lot of serial (self-contained) episodes, the dialogue is pretty bad at times (eg. "that's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know"), and one of the actors is quite horrible (but thank [god] they get rid of her in the second season). Really, it all boils down to this; if you are unsure as to whether you want to purchase the series, start on series 2. You'll be pleasantly surprised. You'll continue on, and find you need the first for your collection. You really cannot go wrong with this show, but I can see as how the first season would be off-putting. So, rather than give it a stellar review, I give you this. Hopefully you will come to know, and love, Babylon 5 as I have.
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