So this is not a review.
But rather all of my thoughts on the show after finishing season 1.
When I first started the show I said how it has a lot of potential but I forgot to mention my first thought upon my watch of the pilot. It suffers from First Season-itus.
The only comparison I can make is to Deep Space Nine. In DS9 season one is by no means bad but its very different, characters and plots feel very forced it feels sort of in a mysterious gray area between where it wants to be and where the studio wants it to be. In DS9 after the pilot the first real episode of DS9 was Duet I feel. But in Babylon 5 it suffered the same thing. Plots would be introduced in the same episode they would be resolved, this wasn’t bad it was just from a show that did not know where it wanted to be and from a show that did not know if would get another season. So it had to be able to wrap its self up a little more than it wanted to. Just like DS9 it feels like it is being forced to be episodic. Where everything had to be wrapped up like the studio wanted it to. Oh the Centauri have arranged marriages? Well that problem is over now. It is by no means bad just was a little disappointing but it is doing something that something suffering from Season One-itus does. It was making plot drive character so in later episodes character could drive plot. In Ds9 we had to be forced to learn Kira was a terrorist so we could get the amazing Duet episode later. We had to get the plots of the Babylon stations so we could get Babylon Squared. A fantastic episode. This show is brilliant and has so much heart. It just suffered so hard from Season One-itus.
Now here is my sort of thoughts on some of the characters as of now.
Sinclair: Great commander! Really like that he does what has to do not just following his code (Think Seasons 3-6 Sisko). In the early episodes he was a bit forced on me but he really is wise and smart. He does what he must and has his crew in mind. I like that he is not afraid to make friends with the people in his station and who he is up against. His crew is his family, which feels real and natural. Him as a leader makes sense. And his plot! The mystery involving the line makes me keep coming back for more!
Ivanova: Good twist on the number one. Thought she was just going to be a stick in the mud but she is only about that for one thing! I like that she hates psychics almost unfilteringly and it is a good development. I feel in Science Fiction people are afraid to make main characters have prejudices. Of course the psychic that helped her learn they were alright was Jeffrey Combs…that fucker is everywhere in Ds9… LITERALLY EVERYWHERE. Anyway I feel her being Russian is being forced on me but again it is season one nothing shocking there.
Garibaldi: Reminds me of Season 3 and on of Odo but mixed with Riker. He is a fun loving but serious cop. He wants justice above all else but is willing to let the small fish go to bait the larger ones. He is also willing to kill which is interesting. He has some mild racism but nothing too serious and he is fun. Not forced fun like Riker was, but really actually fun, and funny. He is a good relief that does not feel forced a real human. Of all the characters he feels the most human. Just a normal guy that is the head of security.
Delenn: Ew. You look gross. That was my first thought. Then it went to oh ok you guys are kind of the diplomatic race? Then it was you evil fuckers. Then it was uhh what. She is interesting. Her being more religious is a very interesting character trait but I don’t really know if I like her right now. I feel they didn’t do a whole lot with her but do a lot of setting up. She has a lot of potential but I am really sort of neutral to her right now. Not too captivated by her presence.
Dr. Briggs: Hmmm very idealistic and very cocky. I sort of like his whole he is playing god complex I really dig that. He is not just the I have to save every body he is more egotistical but he does remind me of early Julian a bit. I don’t really know he seemed slightly forced on me but it is season 1. I like him though. I do. But I feel he needs some mellowing out everything out of his mouth feels like he is going to scream it at the top of his lungs.
Talia: Sorry who? She was introduced as a main character and then would just vanish for 10 episodes at a time. They introduced that her powers are growing but I feel that will come back later. She is not really a main character right now but she can be.
G’Kar: From the first moment I saw him I knew I would like this guy. Few Science Fiction shows make vengeance seem like a rational reaction. You know? It is usually how we should be rational and how no one should act that way. But G’Kar wants revenge, he is so angry and I am siding with him. Well not completely. Like this show has established many times no one is really fully right. He has horrible means to pretty horrible ends. But his reasons make sense he makes complete sense to me. He has manners and has culture he has deep seeded religious beliefs but yet he wants blood. Not like the Klingons who do it for honor but because his people have truly been wronged. I love this character and cannot wait to see more from them.
Londo: When I first met this guy… I HATED him. I thought he was a bullshit comic relief character that had nothing to offe.r Space European yay what a fun concept. But he grew to be more than that. He had a lot of depth longing for the olden times wishing his people could be the leaders of the galaxy again. He is an old dog that sadly will never really be able to stop being an old dog. Yeah he has a lust for women but he just wishes to love honestly he masks his pain. He wants everyone to like him… deep down even G’Kar. Reminds me a bit of Quark.
So all in all good show that is going to become a great show I can tell. I really enjoy it but man I hope this season One-Itus is cured by Season Two 🙂
DigitallyBlank 