Rating: 
Summary: The episodes are great, but...
Review: ...the disks [stinks]. I wound up having to go exchange it four times before I finally got a copy in which all of the disks were playable. One of them had four of the six disks with plainly visible, major scratches on them. Now that I finally have a set where each disk works, it is great. But I think someone needs to work on quality control at Warner Brothers... the fact that none of the disks will stay securely in their carriers may have something to do with the massive scratches, as they can slide around inside the case.Make no mistake though; the episodes are, for the most part, great! I just hope you have better luck out of the box than I did!
Rating:
Summary: Babylon 5 Season One - The epic saga begins!
Review: Let me start this by saying that it was a pure pleasure watching this first season of Babylon 5. One thing can certainly be said of this outstanding science fiction series; creator J. Michael Straczynski and the universe he created here is on the same scale as that of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek and Chris Carter's The X-Files. What he created in Babylon 5 is thoroughly incredible in the sense that he drafted a five year, continuous saga and after no small measure of consternation was able to get Warner Brothers to foot the bill. A major nod to his persistence in this endeavor as science fiction fans everywhere will attest to the overwhelming success of Babylon 5. Besides J. Michael Stracynski's superb writing, he also brought in a couple of veteran Star Trek the original series authors to help them along the way. D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold served greatly to enhance Babylon 5. One of the things that always drove me nuts about trying to keep up with Babylon 5 when it was being originally aired was its being in syndication. It always seemed as if something was preempting this beautiful show making it occasionally difficult to keep up with this rather large book/series. With this, the first of the five seasons on DVD, that is certainly not a problem. A set of deeply rich characters is what I believe set this saga apart and above other sci-fi shows that were in competition or have come out since. All of the characters were extraordinarily well thought out, leaving the viewer with a great sense of joy upon watching these episodes. The only character that somewhat grated on one's soul was that of Commander Sinclair. Michael O'Hare did a wonderful job; he just never seemed to actually fit the part of a leading character. I believe this is what led to the beautiful story arc at the end of the season that lead to him and his destiny with Babylon 4. One of the most endearing aspects of Babylon 5 is that in seemingly every show there is either a tidbit or a large chunk of information that plays a part in either the future or the past of this series. That is what quality writing is all about! Standout episodes: Born to the Purple - Any show featuring Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari, the wonderful character brought to life by Peter Jurasik is outstanding in my book! The Parliament of Dreams - Any episode featuring Narn Ambassador G'Kar brought to life with conviction by Andreas Katsulas is as equally outstanding. Mind War - This wonderful episode is where we're more formally introduced to the Psi Corps and Bester, played admirably by Walter Koenig of Star Trek fame. Here is where much of the intrigue about the Psi Corps is initiated. And the Sky Full of Stars - Here is where we find out a small amount of what happened to Commander Sinclair when he blacked out during the Battle of the Line on the last day of the Earth-Minbari war. This episode also adds to the mystique and intrigue of Minbari Ambassador Delenn who is played quite admirably by Mira Furlan. Survivors - This great episode serves well featuring Security Chief Michael Garibaldi who plays his role with passion. Mr. Garibaldi is framed for a crime and flees to the stations down below area in an attempt to clear himself. Signs and Portents - This is most definitely the best episode of the season. Here we have Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova played perfectly by the ever beautiful Claudia Christian getting out in a Star Fury in an attempt to catch some raiders. While that's happening we have a Centauri Seer on board who foretells an explosive doom for the station. Grail - This episode is great simply because it has a very high profile Science Fiction guest star in David Warner who performs to his usual standard of brilliance. A Voice in the Wilderness parts I & II - These are two of the first season's most exceptional episodes. The planet that Babylon 5 is orbiting was believed to be barren and uninhabited until one day it starts having a great amount of seismic activity. They later discover the amazing cause of this seismic activity. These two episodes serve greatly to set up the back story for the planet which will be used in further detail down the road. Babylon Squared - This is another of those outstanding episodes of the first season and it involves temporal mechanics, yippee! Babylon's 1-3 were all sabotaged and lost, Babylon 4 just disappeared and now it has reappeared right where it was four years hence. Chrysalis - Of the many series I've watched few have ever come up with a better season ending cliffhanger. The Shadows make their first known move in helping the Centauri, Sinclair proposes marriage and Delenn enters a cocoon... I highly recommend this DVD set and the next four seasons to follow to any and all fans of great Science Fiction. {ssintrepid} Bonus Materials: The Making of Babylon 5 Vintage Documentary
Back to Babylon 5 New Documentary
The Universe of Babylon 5 Includes: Computer Files Archive Offering
1) Background on the Human/Alien Historical Events and Political Situations the Foreshadowed the Creation of Babylon 5
2) Station Personnel and Diplomatic Personnel Profiles
3) Technical Section Focusing on 24th Century Interstellar Transport Virtual Station Tour: Outlining Babylon 5's Structure and Sectors All of the above Bonus Materials are an absolute joy to watch that make this DVD set even more worth picking up! Episode/Chapter list: Midnight on the Firing Line
Soul Hunter
Born to the Purple
Infection
The Parliament of Dreams
Mind War
The War Prayer
And the Sky Full of Stars
Deathwalker
Believers
Survivors
By Any Means Necessary
Signs and Portents
TKO
Grail
Eyes
Legacies
A Voice in the Wilderness Part I
A Voice in the Wilderness Part II
Babylon Squared
The Quality of Mercy
Chrysalis
Rating:
Summary: The Beginning of one of the all time Greastest Sci-Fi shows
Review: Babylon 5 is one the three greastest Sci-Fi of all time equal to Star Trek and Star Trek The Next Generation.As with all series the first season is a little rough around the the edges, but Babylon 5 season 1 was great none the less.
Rating:
Summary: "And so it begins . . . "
Review: "Babylon Five" was probably one of the best--if not the best--science fiction show on television in the 1990s. While most of the "Star Trek" series kept on safe ground, B5 moved into territories unknown or unwilling to go in Roddenberry's world. While much of B5 owes much of its allure to its use of symbols and ideas from other myths and sources--like the Arthurian tales and JRR Tolkien--it also built a new world, a dangerous one and, often or not, a humorous one.
The first season is, in a sense, a prelude to the whole drama--themes are announced, characters introduced, and the well-known arc begins with the special questions of "who are you? . . . what do you want?" and moves on from there. It is a necessary part of the story and, if a bit different because of Sinclair's presence--one which would be missed in season two--the feel is still one of a fine beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: Bend Over for Warner Brothers
Review: For those of us who bought the VHS releases and have been patiently waiting to complete our collections, this really [stinks].
A great series but not so great I want to buy it twice!
In fact I may not be buying any Warner DVDs!
Hook us up Warner Bros, put out the missing VHS!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nothing like it (before or since)
Review: I've been a serious fan of sci-fi since grade school, and I've seen all the TV sci-fi there ever was. Nothing compares to B5. This entire series was innovative before it ever started shooting. A pre-programmed self-destruct after five years? Unthinkable! The whole story arc mapped out before setting pen to paper? Preposterous! JMS broke every rule of TV sci-fi by even *thinking* this way - and the world has never been the same for me. If I can't get any of the other TV sci-fi series on DVD, I *have* to have this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant show that deserves a better DVD
Review: Stone me if you must, fanboys of America, but as far as I'm concerned, "Bablyon 5" is the greatest science fiction television program ever made Yeah, I said it. Here we've got a show with depth, character development, foreshadowing and real drama spread out over five whole seasons, an experiment American TV had never done before. And it was done beautifully. This first set has, naturally, all of the episodes from the first season (although NOT the pilot -- that was released on a separate DVD). While not as strong as later seasons, this still laid the groundwork for this incredible show. I had to deduct a few points from my rating for the extras on the set -- commentaries on only two episodes and a couple of cute, but not great behind-the-scenes documentaries. Future sets, I hear, will have commentaries not only from J.Michael Straczynski (the show's creator and head writer) but from other cast and crew members. The documentaries are okay, but the second one (and the commentaries) reveal some of the secrets from later on in the series -- if this is your first time watching Babylon 5, you'll want to skip these features until you've seen all five seasons. On the plus side, each episode comes with the original TV spot, something I haven't seen on a lot of DVDs, and something I enjoy. The packaging is pretty weak too -- Warner Bros is becoming famous for skimpy DVD packaging. Nearly every time I've opened this box I've had disks fall out of the flimsy case, scratching one of the discs the first time I EVER opened the box and postponing my viewing until I got a repair kit. It's still an excellent, groundbreaking TV show, it's worth it for people who love good sci-fi -- just don't expect anything it's not.
Rating: 
Summary: The seeds of a great series
Review: The three stars of my review are a bit deceptive. Babylon 5 is one of my favorite TV series ever. When it came out it was the only alternative to Star Trek on television. (Not that I dislike Star Trek, exactly. But one series does not a genre make, and Star Trek's dominance was not an unmixed blessing, because it prevented many other worthwhile SF series from finding a niche.) The reason for the three stars is that while the series as a whole was well crafted, innovative in its well-plotted-out, five year story ark, and one of the more intelligently written shows on TV, it didn't quite hit its stride right away. Hence the good but not great three star review. Don't get me wrong-the first season is better than three quarters of what you find on TV. But if the series consisted only of the first season, I could not recommend it unconditionally. If you are going to spend a lot of money on a complete series collection, it has to be truly excellent. While the later episodes in the season are better, many episodes-especially the early ones-suffer from clumsy editing, awkward performances, and clunky dialogue, which detract from the ambitious story-telling. Also, it is sometimes hard to ignore the crudity of the primitive CG effects. Now for the good news: the series as a whole was far better than the first season alone, and even in the first season, most of the episodes, while not perfect, are eminently watchable. I can recommend buying the first season, not so much on its own merits as on its being the first chapters in a superior whole. By the second half of the season, the performances and production values are beginning to be worthy the series' scope and vision. The actors are getting a handle on their characters, the writing is smoother, and the special effects, if still rather artificial, seem less jarring-if only because the better craftsmanship as a whole aids the viewer's suspension of disbelief. Of particular interest is the 13th episode, "Signs and Portents". In it you get your first glimpses of the work of genius the series eventually becomes; fitting, since it also introduces the first real meat of the five year story arc. The episode could have been simply open-ended and confusing: instead Janet Greek's assured direction provides a clear sense of foreshadowing while making the episode dramatic and entertaining throughout (Greek is sensibly entrusted with the helm on several other key episodes-"And The Sky Is Full Of Stars," "A Voice In The Wilderness Parts I and II," and "Chrysalis" in this season-and acquits herself well on each occasion). The performances provide welcome depth to the characters, particularly Peter Jurasik's Lando, whose temptation, fall, and redemption are so key and thus must be convincingly explained. Most of all, the writing by Straczynski give us our first glimpse of his acute sense of epic and myth, most especially in the significant open ended question "What do you want?"
Rating:
Summary: Great ... but not widescreen
Review: I'll echo all of the kudos written about this set by other B5 fans, and the special features (interview and commentary from JMS, behind-the-scenes stuff) were also excellent. However, I do have one minor nit to pick ... the stuff about "widescreen transfer" (whatever that means) does NOT yield a new widescreen format for the series. All of the episodes I've looked at (so far) are in the standard 4:3 TV ratio, not 16:9. With that small caveat, I'd recommend this set whole-heartedly to any present or prospective B5 devotee.
Rating:
Summary: The latest seminal sci-fi TV series
Review: A few years ago a panel at MIT, focusing on science in entertainment, agreed that there have been three seminal series in the history of TV sci-fi: The original "Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" series of the 1950s and 1960s, and "Babylon 5." High praise for a show that was part of Warner Brothers' initial foray into network TV, the PTEN, which initially aired only this show and "Kung Fu: The Legacy Continues." But the praise is clearly warranted. "B5," along with "The X-Files," returned the love of mystery/suspense/SF serials to television, seen since in successful shows like "24" and "Alias." As with those series, this is adult television, without a teen/child star for the kids to relate to. They probably couldn't keep up with the story, such is its intensity and breadth of vision. Prolific writer J. Michael Straczynski (he claims to write 10 hours a day, 362 days a year) created and guided this series as executive producer, and earned singular control over his baby. He had primary say over who presented his characters on screen by directing them, portraying them, etc., and his unfiltered vision has resulted in a five-year tour de force. Said characters actually grow and develop palpably as the years go on, just like real people, which is a rare and wonderful thing in the two-dimensional entertainment world. The elements of mystery, romance, action, politics, comedy, war, space, and interpersonal power plays are all a part of this huge space opera splashed across the canvas of "Who will guide the galaxy into the next great age?" It's all very beautifully done, although in the first part of this first season there's the added charm of watching JMS and his crew and cast learning how to perfect their vehicle. This kind of TV had never quite been done before, so expect a somewhat uneven (yet still very enjoyable) few hours at first. By "And the Sky Full of Stars," the eighth episode of these first 22, you'll be hooked with the hints at a great mystery involving one crucial character, and at the relationships between the primary races involved with him and with each other. In short, don't toss this on and expect to watch it out of the corner of your eye while you're vacuuming, changing diapers, or working on the PC. You'll want to focus as much as possible, all the way through the first four seasons especially. You will never regret it.
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