Rating: 
Summary: Babylon 5 is great stuff
Review: The third session of Babylon 5 is probably the best of the five sessions the program was on the air. Taken for all in all, it was the best SF/F show ever on television. This was because it didn't dodge the big questions:Who are we?
What do we want?
Where are we going? It made the big questions the central focus of the series. It didn't always provide clear and succinct answers to them either. It also made things very much like the real world we live in many ways. Impure or evil motives might lead to actions with overall good outcomes, and good intentions may well pave the road to hell. J. Michael Straczynski is the reason is stayed focus on the large themes. JMS created the series and wrote all the episodes of the session, as well as all the 4th session episodes. He was specifically looked to create myths that addressed the big questions in life. You can't address the big issues without acknowledging the reasons that most people stop thinking about them: the minutia of life often makes us focus on little things that often don't bear on the larger issues. JMS wrote the series in a way that the big questions came into line with the little issues of life. His focus also allowed for characters to grow and change over the course of the series. For example, Vir, a character that starts off as a basic comic-relief player, yet ends up as one of those who can speak with great wisdom. The third session was when this change in him became evident. Also, the characters are not all perfect examples of morality and heroism: they each have their strengths and faults. This makes things much more believable. Especially since much of the underlying stories of good vs. evil is rather fanciful. In order to make it all believable is requires that there are underlying things that make sense, so that the home viewer can grab a handle on the program in order to anchor the rest of the story. Many other shows with similar takes on the world of character development have been "St. Elsewhere", "Six Feet Under" and "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer". The acting in the show is normally good, with especially good performances by Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar and Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari.
Rating:
Summary: B5- The Great season.
Review: This season gets intense and is the MEAT in the sandwich that is the Babylon 5 story. Great Maker... I cannot wait until the fourth season...
Rating: 
Summary: Best Sci-Fi series...poor DVD quality
Review: This series has the same quality issues that the first two had, but there are fewer of the bad scenes. Also, the bad scenes seem better than the bad scenes in the previous two series. I stated this for season two and I will again here. I think what happened is the scenese that are bad were not in widescreen format so they enlarged the image and chopped off the top and bottom. Watching it, I notice that in a large number of the scenes that look blurry, peoples chins and hair are cut off. Personally I would rather have the image shift from widescreen to 4:3 repeatedly than have this poor video quality. Unfortunately I do not think that they will rerelease these with good quality masters any time soon, so I am stuck buying them this way.
Rating:
Summary: Great Series
Review: Season 3 is probably the best of the 5. About 8 top quality episodes, and even some of the poorer eps like Grey 17 probably ain't as bad as you first remembered them. JMS commentary is ok with a few interesting tidbits. The cast commentary is more enjoyable on Episode 15. The only things I've discovered is that the transfer ranges from great to shoddy. Some scenes look as though they were filmed through a haze filter. I've no idea what source they encoded the dvd's from, but no chance in hell was it a pristine master. Way too many grainy and poorly encoded scenes for it to be. It would have been interesting to hear from the 2 best actors - Pete Jurasik and Andreas, even Michael O'Hare.
Rating:
Summary: Best season of the best sci-fi series
Review: I do not believe it would be an exaggeration to say that this is the best season of any television series ever aired. Granted, I haven't seen every television series, but even the highest quality productions that I have seen are, in my humble opinion, at best a distant second. You would be doing yourself a great disservice to not watch the Babylon 5 series, for even if you are not a Sci-Fi fan, it does not take a fan of a specific genre to enjoy that which is simply a truly superb story.
Rating:
Summary: Babylon 5 Season Three - Point of No Return - Payoff time!
Review: B5's third season is clearly the most pivotal of all the seasons. Here is where truths are revealed and new questions are raised. This is where J. Michael Straczynski's brilliance as the shows creator shines brightly in that with each episode he shows us what is to come, but at the same time, doesn't give us the how or why which leaves you, the viewer, hungry for more. This season also brought an unprecedented event, no television series before this ever had an entire season written by one screenwriter. With the multitude of variables and directions that J. Michael Straczynski needed to take the series for this season, he felt that he was the only one that could take them there. As it turned out, this was a brilliant decision, despite a few of the episodes being a bit lackluster, the overall feel and theme of the season is breathtaking in its scope and detail. A brief synopsis of the more intriguing episodes: Matters of Honor - In this exciting season opener, the Minbari religious cast bestows upon Captain Sheridan the White Star which is a starship built of Vorlon and Minbari technology that no other race has seen until now. Here is where we meet Marcus who escapes a planet where the Rangers are training but have been blockaded by the Centauri. He seeks Sheridan's help in clearing the blockade so the rest of those in training can escape. A Day in the Strife - This is an interesting episode that brings to the forefront Steven's addictions to stims. Meanwhile, Sheridan and Ivanova must deal with a probe that is prepared to annihilate the station if a whole battery of questions isn't answered properly. Passing Through Gethsemane - In this intriguing episode, the Narn provisional government has given in to the Centauri and sent a Narn representative to B5 to replace G'Kar and send him home, most likely to his death. Meanwhile, one of the monks who recently came to the station starts suffering through some rather odd delusions. Dust to Dust - Psi cop Bester makes a return in this brilliant episode in which he comes to the station to track down a shipment of dust which is an illicit substance that when used brings out the Psi ability in anyone, even mundanes. G'Kar hopes to use this as a weapon against the Centauri and tests it himself which brings him to Londo's door where he learns a great many truths about Mollari and his activities. Messages from Earth - In this pivotal episode, Sheridan learns that Earth and the Psi Corps has been aware of the Shadows and their vessels and that they have discovered one on Mars. Risking detection, Sheridan takes the White Star to Mars to stop Psi Corps from gaining control of this shadow vessel. Point of No Return - In this extraordinary episode, Earth has reverted to martial law and extends that to Babylon 5 where Sheridan must find a way to deal with the Night Watch officers who attempt to seize control of Babylon 5. Severed Dreams - This is the episode that B5 has building to for quite some time in which Sheridan is now forced to make the decision to publicly defy Earth Force and the President. President Clark has sent an armada to B5 to seize control but Sheridan has other plans... A Late Delivery from Avalon - Sheridan proposes a mutual defense treaty with the League and Michael York of "Logan's Run" fame makes a poignant guest appearance as a man who comes off a transport and believes he is King Arthur. Ship of Tears - Bester makes another appearance and he proposes an alliance with Sheridan and crew. He's searching for a transport vessel that he believes is carrying weapons that he'd be interested in. Here is a where a terrible truth is revealed about the Shadows and their weapons. Interludes and Examinations - In this incredible episode, Sheridan believes that he must deliver a victory against the Shadows and appeals to Kosh and the Vorlons to get it. They deliver but the victory comes at a terrible price. War Without End, Parts I & II - With these two episodes, J. Michael Straczynski out does himself as he brings back Sinclair and Babylon 4 and he plays out the story he's been eluding to in the past and tells the tale of where Babylon 4 went and ultimately who Valen is. And the Rock Cried out, No Hiding Place - In this brilliant episode we see the true colors of Mollari as he works his political machinations to better secure his position in the royal court. Shadow Dancing - In this superb episode, Sheridan brings together an alliance and a large fleet to take the offensive against the shadows in an unprecedented space battle involving hundreds of ships. Z'Ha'Dum - In this extraordinary and stunning season closer, Sheridan's wife Anna, played by his real life wife, is sent to B5 as an emissary from the Shadows. She implores him to return to Z'Ha'Dum with her to hear their side of the story. For some time, he's been warned not to go to Z'Ha'Dum, but he trudges on any way, leading to a dramatic conclusion of the season and a long wait until season four comes out. {ssintrepid} Special Features: Documentaries:
Behind the Mask: Creating the Aliens of Babylon 5
Building A Better Narn
Designing Tomorrow: The Look of Babylon 5 The Universe of Babylon 5:
Data Files: Battle for Babylon, Grey, Mindwipe, Thunderbolt, White Star
Personnel Files: Zack Allen, Alfred Bester, Marcus Cole, David Corwin, Zathras
Shadow Dossier Episode list: Matters of Honor Convictions
A Day in the Strife
Passing Through Gethsemane
Voices of Authority
Dust to Dust
Exogenesis
Messages from Earth
Point of No Return
Severed Dreams
Ceremonies of Light and Dark
Sic Transit Vir
A Late Delivery from Avalon
Ship of Tears
Interludes and Examinations
War Without End, Parts I & II
Walkabout
Grey 17 is Missing
And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
Shadow Dancing
Z'Ha'Dum
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST EVER
Review: "WAR WITHOUT END" IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE BEST ORIGINAL OUTER LIMITS EPISODES AND TNG. IF YOU REVELED IN "YESTERDAY'S ENTERPRISE" OR "ALL GOOD THINGS" OR ANYTHING ABOUT TIME TRAVEL THAT REALLY MAKES YOU THINK, YOU WILL WANT SEASON 3 AND THEN THAT WILL MAKE YOU BUY SEASONS 1 & 2. BABYLON 5 WAS FAR AHEAD OF ITSELF AND IT RECEIVED CERTAIN "BLESSINGS" SUCH AS THE APPEARENCES OF MAJEL BARRETT, WALTER KONIG AND TURHAN BEY!!!! DON'T MISS IT. YES IT'S A SPACE STATION BUT JUST AS GOOD AS DEEP SPACE 9 WITHOUT ALL THE RESOURCES $$$.
Rating:
Summary: Best season of B5
Review: The overall story arc of babylon 5 was one of the most well thought out and astounding ventures undertaken on Television. This third season was the best of a great thing. It encapsulated some of the best episodes of television Sci-Fi ever created. The continued escalation of the conflict and shock ending of the season should have people clamoring for the the next season, though it cannot top this one.
Rating:
Summary: Great episodic S-F with refreshing lack of technobabble
Review: Many good and true things have already been written by other customers. The sets and props tend to look a little on the cheap side. The special effects almost always betray their computer-generated origin. But none of this really matters. These are characters and conflicts we can care about, stories that play out the great themes of and human experience and history, carried into the future of 300 years hence -- making sly comments about contemporary society in the telling of those tales. The acting is adequate to fantastic. But the story's the main thing. I am a Star Trek fan too, but the technobabble on various incarnations of that show is a major annoyance. In Babylon 5, there is a refreshing lack of any need to explain unexplainable technology in Babble-on-speak. Hyperspace is hyperspace. We accept it. The less said the better. The weapons blast and zap, we don't need to know why. Do we? Babylon 5 does not obsess about propulsion systems, particles, warp fields and cores, and the viewer is better able to focus on the characters and their motivations within the events around them. Also, Babylon 5 does not fall back on stale time travel stories when they are at a loss for plot lines. As it should be. All seasons of Babylon 5 were good, but Seasons 3 and 4 were the best of all. All serious fans of science fiction owe it to themselves to see this series.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Storytelling!
Review: I have just finished watching the last episode of season three for the fourth time since buying it on August 12th, the day it came out. What an amazing way to finish off the season! The episode "Z'Ha'Dum" wraps up several storylines from previous episodes and gives the audience plenty to look forward to in Season Four. I had never seen Babylon 5 when it first came out on TV. At the time I was an avid Trekkie and thought B5 was just a blatant attempt at copying. How wrong I was. This show presents some very creative ideas concerning the universe and possible alien worlds. More importantly, the show contains great morals about ourselves and our identity. This is truly a wonder and a treat, and we have been blessed to have been given such a well crafted show. Season Three ups the ante on the previous two seasons, especially with "Severed Dreams," "War Without End" and "Z'Ha'Dum." In "Severed Dreams" Earth has declared martial law and Sheridan must make one of the toughest decisions of his life, stick with Earth or declare independence. In "War Without End" we see the other side of the story from Season One, "Babylon Squared." In that episode, Bablyon 4 appeared out of nowhere. Now we get to understand what exactly happened. It all culminates in "Z'Ha'Dum" where Sheridan meets the one person he never thought he would meet again. Wow! I can't wait until Season 4 arrives.
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