Let’s all be honest with each other and just admit that we’re all nerds here. We’re all fans of stuff and as with any construct, there are areas of overlap and divergent data points. Specifically, in nerdom, there are things that are pretty universally liked and then there are those that are a little, or a lot, off the beaten path. I’m talking, of course, about those shows, books, games, etc. that we might love that others may not quite understand. Why do I bring this up? Well, I’ve recently been dissecting one of those shows that, while not entirely mainstream, isn’t entirely obscure either. It’s been around almost 20 years and it’s got the kind of reputation where you either get it and you love it, or you don’t get it and you hate it. Naturally, I’m referring Babylon 5.
I’ve put a lot of effort in trying to understand what people see in this show. Being more technically minded in my TV intake, I see dated special effects, bad acting and subpar direction. And the first time I watched through the show, that’s exactly what I saw. I didn’t really get anything out of it, except that I’d rather get a root canal than watch it. However, my bar is pretty high, lest we forget that I was raised on Star Trek and I figured that if I wanted a politically charged, thoughtfully executed drama with great acting, engaging story lines and amazing special effects, then I should just watch Deep Space Nine. DS9 set a benchmark for me that was maybe a little too high for Babylon 5 to reach. However, you’ll forgive me this misstep as the two shows did premiere around the same time and the concepts were very similar, at least on the surface.
Now some of you maybe crying foul at your monitors right now because of the widely held public opinion that Paramount stole the concept for DS9 from J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5. I’ve read many articles about this very subject over the years and tried to piece together the truth behind the matter, but ultimately, the truth has been lost to time and it’s really not terribly important anyway. Both shows are good shows in their own rights and both shows had good runs in the end. Yes, both shows used similar concepts and yes, both shows even shared similar character archetypes, but that’s not my area of focus.
Today, I want to focus on a journey similar to the one I took in trying to like Star Wars again, only this time, I wanted to finally get why so many people love Babylon 5. I wanted to delve beneath the cheesy acting, the laughable special effects and the sometimes off putting synthesized score. Don’t blow a gasket yet, we’re getting to the less offensive part. I just need you to understand that I saw Babylon 5 this way until recently. It just also happens that I have found a little room in my heart to give it some love. Just bear in mind that when I come down on the show, it stems from that previous frame of mind. Okay, are we ready to enter the jump gate and get this show moving? Good.
I want to revisit the DS9/Bab5 controversy for a moment. See, it’s true that JMS shopped his pilot for Babylon 5 to Paramount for production back in the day and it is true that they turned him down. However, the details of the fiasco get a little murky from there. JMS has often claimed that executives at Paramount permanently ‘borrowed’ his series bible for B5 and that he was appalled to see the similarities between the two competing shows once DS9 aired. I stumbled across an article not too long ago that included a memo written back when Paramount was toying around with the UPN station and it mentions both shows in the line-up. This is the only evidence that I’ve been able to find that suggests that one did not beget the other. I know I said this wasn’t my area of focus so why do I bring this up? Well, in many ways, I think DS9 represents what B5 could have been with a little more backing from a studio. See, when Warner Bros decided to fund B5 they also decided to jointly start up the Prime Time Entertainment Network, or PTEN, with Paramount in order to distribute. PTEN went on the air in January of 1993 and B5 premiered in February of 1993. So in much the same way that Star Trek: Voyager launched UPN in 1995, B5 was expected to carry a start up network. In November of 1993, Warner Bros announced that they were launching their own standalone network, the WB. And in early 1994, Paramount announced the creation of their own standalone network, UPN. Pile on that the fact that PTEN was really nothing more than a conglomeration of local network affiliates in the first place, and the foundation for the show ends up looking shaky at best. Perhaps in some alternate universe, B5 got picked up by CBS, or something and had a relatively smooth run? We may never know, but the point is, the show started off on a handicap.
I keep mentioning that DS9 and B5 had similar concepts and to a point, they did. Both discussed themes like good versus evil, religion, politics, and war, but that’s where most of the thematic similarities end. B5 delves into things like chaos versus order, destiny versus free will, and sexual normality. These are things that, while DS9 may have glanced over them, it didn’t delve as deeply into them as B5 did. Babylon 5 also took a vastly different approach to exploring these themes, probably because Harlan Ellison was an umbrella consultant for the show. He tends to get really high concept in his delivery of fiction.
The tone of Babylon 5 was pretty unique for the time. It tended to be serious, dark, foreboding, and mysterious. It also used a storytelling method not previously seen much on TV. Instead of presenting a series of loosely related serialized episodes, B5 instead employed a thoroughly planned metaplot. This is another similarity that it shares with DS9, but where DS9 took time to do standalone episodes that didn’t always drive the plot, B5 rarely wasted an episode stepping outside of it. The main story arc for the show was very focused and little time as spent on anything that didn’t directly serve that story. This is a mode that’s been employed numerous times since, both successfully and otherwise. A few shows that borrowed the method include, but are in no way limited to Battlestar Galactica, Jericho, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Firefly. All of these are shows that I can confidently recommend watching as everyone of them is pretty outstanding by their own rite.
Now let’s get to the technical aspect of things. We all knew it was coming and I think it really needs to be said. From a technical aspect, B5 is really a mixed bag. The decision was made early on to use computer generated space effects and even blue screen back drops. While this could be commended and seen as cutting edge for the time, it was also terribly expensive, and the field improved drastically over just a short period of time. In fact, by the time B5 was ending its run, DS9 was already employing CG effects that were nearly indistinguishable from their practical effects. Thus, the special effects haven’t really aged very well. There are definitely some ambitious and even memorable shots, but when the render is real time and details just suddenly appear out of nowhere, it makes things hard to buy. Also, by using CG, the B5 production team was unable to assemble stock space effects. This shows early on in the lack of activity in the space oriented establishing shots. Around the fourth season, the team did managed to bulk up the space activity though.
I also mentioned the acting and the direction. These things also end up a mixed bag depending on the episode and sometimes even from scene to scene. There are times when performances seem really good and other times when said performances border on laughable. I always joke that you know when B5 is trying to make a point because the actors will scream the most mundane lines. It ends up feeling out of place and melodramatic. What I’m saying is that either the actors, or the directors just didn’t grasp the concept of subtlety. I understand completely. It’s a hard concept to wrap your head around, but when you’re trying to make a show that’s got a Hollywood budget and a professional production staff, the expectations tend to be a bit higher. I won’t go any further with that. Just know that if you decide to give the show a try, there are going to be a number of WTF moments along the way. The acting does improve somewhat as the show progresses though.
Finally, since it’s kind of my thing, let’s talk about the music. Let me just say that Christopher Franke wrote some amazing music for the show and its various spinoffs and movies. However, I feel like the decision to go with a mostly synthesized score really hurt the potential dramatic tension on the show. That said, I know it was done to cut production costs and since the CG decision stemmed from the same place, I’ll just concede that at least this measure might actually have accomplished its goal. As an audio engineer myself, I realize that there are far too many nuances involved with music to ever truly capture them with synths, especially in orchestral scoring. Minute changes in pitch, timbre, and volume make each instrument and performance unique and very rarely does that ever carry through with synth. The score should act as a character in the piece; telling our hearts what to feel and our brains how to react; leading us on an exciting journey into unexplored places and the realm of emotion is an extremely nuanced place. Thus, the music needs to be able to communicate on that level and I don’t really feel like synths can accomplish that very well. Mini rant aside, the notes that are being used in the score are very well composed and I should like to see, one day, an orchestral performance of some of the highlight music from the show.
Now let’s delve into something a little bit deeper, shall we? For those of you who might be reading this that have watched the show, I pose this question: Who are the main characters of the show? In other shows, it’s usually pretty easy to tell. For instance, in Next Generation it was Picard, Data, Crusher(s), and Worf. These are the characters that writing staff went out of their way to explore. These are the characters that got entire episodes devoted to them and in some cases, on a fairly regular basis. These are the characters whose actions drove the show more than anyone else. In Babylon 5, it’s a little more difficult to define these roles Perhaps this stems from the precise vision that JSm had for the story, or perhaps it’s because of a lack of basic writing skills, I don’t know. I am willing to give the whole situation the benefit of the doubt, however, because after much introspection and pondering, I’ve come to the conclusion that Order and Chaos are the main characters. It’s a pretty brilliant setup if it’s what JMS and crew were going for from the beginning. In the show, the two elements are the protagonist and the antagonist. Order is represented by Sinclair, Ivonova, Garibaldi, Franklin, Delenn, and Lenneir. Chaos is primarily represented by Londo, and then later Morden. Londo’s assistant Vir becomes an unwilling participant in the chaotic machinations and eventually leads Londo back to redemption. G’Kar plays the role of mediator between the two. The show tries to portray Sinclair as a savior figure, but really, I think G’Kar fills that role more directly than Sinclair. G’Kar sinks below all of his peers in order to redeem both his own people and Londo’s people.He suffers all manner of afflictions in order to save millions of people he doesn’t know. This dichotomy of chaos versus order and the need for mediation between the two in order to maintain balance makes for an interesting concept and fascinating watching.
In all, Babylon 5, although not without its faults, ends up being an entertaining and a satisfying watch. If you pay attention close enough to catch on to what’s under the surface, you get a lot of perception challenging themes. It’s unfortunate that there are a number of great shows like Babylon 5 that suffered the fate of premature cancellation, but I recommend tracking these types of shows down. They challenge what we think we know of our world and provoke us to reach beyond our own understanding to try and learn more about ourselves and humanity and that’s the mark of successful Science fiction!
*Update: I realized after I had finished watching this series, which happened after publication of this article, that I had never actually seen the series finale of the show. Having seen it finally, I can say that I did get a little misty eyed there at the end. I commend the show for helping me develop emotional ties that made an impact on me.
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